Patrick Cooke
Cross at your own risk
Victim: "Even when one car stops another might try to overtake it." Photo: Matthew Mirabelli
Just 42 per cent of vehicles stopped for people waiting at four pedestrian crossings during an exercise carried out by The Sunday Times.
Four pedestrian crossings in St Julian's, Valletta, Sliema and Floriana were selected to analyse whether drivers approaching them are giving way to pedestrians waiting on the footpath.
The survey comes after a week in which three people died in accidents on local roads, including a 54-year-old German woman who was run over by a car while trying to cross a road on a zebra crossing in Għajnsielem.
She is one of 22 people who have died in traffic accidents on local roads this year; this is seven more than last year and the highest since at least 1991, according to data from the European Commission and the European Traffic Police network.
The selected crossings were observed for 15-minute periods to see how many vehicles stopped for pedestrians on the crossing or waiting to cross.
At the crossing on the St Julian's road leading to the Portomaso marina, 10 vehicles stopped for pedestrians but nine failed to do so last Tuesday evening from 6.45 to 7 p.m.
In Floriana, at the crossing adjacent to the Granaries, only four vehicles out of 10 stopped for pedestrians from 12.45 to 1 p.m. last Friday. On the same day, merely six out of 14 vehicles stopped for pedestrians at the crossing next to Castille in Valletta from 1.45 to 2 p.m.
Finally, just seven out of 21 vehicles stopped for pedestrians at the crossing on The Strand in Sliema close to the ferries from 10.30 to 10.45 a.m. yesterday.
Hardly any of the vehicles surveyed waited for pedestrians to finish crossing the road before driving off.
Figures obtained from Datatrak, the company that provides software services for the Local Enforcement System, show that wardens have issued 372 tickets nationwide for contraventions by motorists at pedestrian crossings this year, up from 326 in 2008.
The penalty for failing to stop or slow down at a pedestrian crossing is €11.65. Kenneth De Martino, managing director of the Guard and Warden Service House, admits it is "very difficult" for wardens to enforce the law at pedestrian crossings.
"It is much easier to hand over a ticket to cars parked illegally than it is to hand one over to a car driving away from a crossing," he said.
Some joint council committees, notably the Sliema joint committee, specifically ask wardens to look out for contraventions at pedestrian crossings, Mr De Martino said.
"Is it enough? You can never do enough as far as the safety of pedestrians is concerned, but the wardens do their best," he added.
One person who may not be consoled by Mr De Martino's comments is 72-year-old Frank Bonello.
On December 12, Mr Bonello had to spend nine hours in hospital after almost being run over by a bus on the pedestrian crossing near Ta' Natu supermarket in Mosta.
A car had stopped for him and he was half-way across the road when he had to jump out of the way of a bus moving at a fast speed from the other direction. He broke three teeth, a rib, a dental bridge worth thousands of euros, his watch, glasses and mobile phone, and suffered bruises, cuts and torn clothes. "It was really horrible but not unusual - you always have to be careful at crossings because even when one car stops another might try to overtake it," he said. Mr Bonello filed a police report but did not know the bus number, and he does not think any driver has been held accountable for failing to stop for him.
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JGALEA
Dec 20th 2009, 23:39
Is anyone aware that when traffic lights are out of order drivers should still treat this as a normal pedestrian crossing. This means that even if lights are swiched off drivers have a duty to stop and let pedestrians cross over and not speed off with total disregard to others which shows lack of knowledge off the highway code.
C. Farrugia
Dec 20th 2009, 19:55
@ Joseph Meli
I did not state that every zebra-crossing should be covered by a Warden or Policeman. What I meant is that this exercise/survey should have been carried out by their departments for the most obvious reasons!!!
Aldo Spiteri: home from the UK
Dec 20th 2009, 19:33
Yes i agree many drives that actually do not bother to stop in time are of the female gender, i remember only last tuesday at Rabat i crossed or tried to cross a zebra crossing in Victoria, and this silly young driver just stopped in time for me to cross, but still looking at her steering wheel, i think she was having a serious conversation on her mobile and never even blinked an eye on the people crossing, now had i been a police officer i would have booked her there and then and confiscate her phone and make her walk to where ever she was heading, am i right or wrong? feedbacks welcome as some Gozitans drivers if one could call them that, especially the old ones with their dented and outdated pickup trucks are living in a world of their own and that is Cuckoo land, probably trying to remember where they stashed their lolly.
Andrea Portelli
Dec 20th 2009, 17:40
Yes apparently it's too physically strenuous for drivers to place their foot on the brake to stop for someone.
Pathetic
Joseph Meli
Dec 20th 2009, 17:19
I do not agree that zebra-crossing should be covered with a policemen or a warden, but instead it should be covered by CCTV camera so that vehicles that fail to stop when it's amber or when it becomes red, they would be fined a minimum of 200 euro.
I don't mind it, because I stop and never start to move before it turns to green for drivers. I have many times tried to use the Zebra-Crossing in the Strand, Gzira or the two at Ta' Xbiex which have now faded away and cannot be seen any more.
In London they do have CCTV coverage in every corner and people say that they feel to be much safer on the road, so why cannot we have these too?
C. Farrugia
Dec 20th 2009, 15:54
Maybe this should have been a Warden's or Policeman's *job*...instead of a Newspaper's Journalistic exercise. (Not saying that it does not indeed raise a very serious issue.)
Quite a few years back I was almost knocked over on this very zebra crossing appearing here. I had almost made to the other end when a black mini minor (which is a very small car) barely through, just sped on, on the innermost opposite side right off the kiosk! Had I taken two steps faster, God knows if would be writing this today.
Another incident, on the other zebra crossing (and TRAFFIC LIGHTS) further to the left, my mother was almost run over when a motorcyle sped through in-between two cars that had stopped at the lights!!!!
It is true that sometimes pedestrians think that they can just walk onto the zebra crossing without as much as a lookout, but it doesn't mean that drivers can just OWN the road!!
W Spencer
Dec 20th 2009, 15:52
@ Paul Barrett
Zebra crossings have BIG wide white marking across the road, so the reason for these crossings not being visible are because of drivers lack of consideration and impatience !
In Victoria ( Gozo ) on Saturday there was double parking near the crossings, and on two crossings there were cars actually parked ( one guy left his car on the crossing next to the Go building, and wandered off to the BOV , and on the other crossing was a large 4x4 vehicle blocking everyones view of the crossing !! ), thus making it dangerous for pedestrians to cross.
It is easy to blame the crossings, the lighting, etc, but it is the drivers who are the problem. Plus why, on such small Islands, do people have to speed ?? Catching the Ferry or going to work ? then leave home earlier !!
Joseph Psalia
Dec 20th 2009, 15:28
In SPB the traffic lights there are regularly ignored by drivers. So what hope do faded white marks on a road have to attract the attention of the perpetually mobile-phoning Maltese driver?
W Cuschieri
Dec 20th 2009, 15:18
I am a pedestrian and I feel that I am being punished for that; an irony given the levels of pollution and lack of parking spaces which would lead me to believe that more pedestrians and less cars are required!
I use zebra crossings that are well-lit and where the paint is clearly visible and yet it is very rare for a car to stop to allow you to cross (or for all cars in all lanes to stop at the same time). Many times you have to start crossing risking your life hoping that they will stop because nobody stops! Why aren't there any cameras to monitor zebra crossings? Are pedestrian lives not worth the expense of installing such cameras??
J. Bonnici
Dec 20th 2009, 14:57
I tend to agree that drivers do not always stop at a zebra crossing. This very bad habit has to be eradicated by proper education say having TV spots at prime time. But there is another face to the coin. Pedestrians have also to be educated about how to use a zebra crossing as people in Malta hardly differentiate between the road and the pavement. Some walk on the road sometimes two or three abreast when there is an empty wide pavement. Others on reaching a zebra crossing just turn on their heels and carry on walking across the road as if they are still on the pavement. Still others just cross the road on a spot just a couple of meters away from a zebra crossing. These also are very bad habits. And while on the subject of driving, drivers should be advised that indicators are not just an accessory on the car, but are there to be used as required by the highway code. Lately the number of drivers who do not use indicators before turning right or left has increased tremendously. A merry sober Christmas to all road users.
Raymond Sammut
Dec 20th 2009, 14:42
This report is highlighting a chronic problem on Malta's roads. So chronic, that people's lives is endangered every time they need to use a zebra-crossing to reach the other side of the road.
The last time I was in Malta, I once waited at a zebra-crossing. Two cars stopped. One was a young woman and the other a middle-aged man. The young woman was polite and she simply waited for me to cross. But the guy stuck his head out the window (a little weeny of a yellow old Mini) and started yelling at me. He wanted to know why I didn't cross while he was still further up the road.
My lesson was that many drivers on Malta's roads do not know the international convention of a zebra-crossing. When in Malta, always be sure to walk away from a zebra-crossing. A zebra-crossing on Malta's roads is a sure invitation to get yourself killed or badly injured. This is exactly what The Times is reporting here in the hope that readers will not have to learn the hard way.
Please DO NOT use a zebra-crossing when in Malta!!
R Grixti
Dec 20th 2009, 14:39
If anyone would like to see utter disregard to pedestrian crossings should try and cross on the zebras in front of portes des bombes, Floriana (the ones next to the tunnel). Cars arrive full blast as if the Nurburgring Gran Prix had just kicked off.
M. Cilia
Dec 20th 2009, 14:00
This particular pedestrian crossing like many others can do with a little bit of paint. I propose that the press will carry out another survey after these are freshly painted and visible to the driver and we may see the difference. As pedestrian and driver, I think the Maltese do have consideration for pedestrian crossing maybe even more than certain other Countries.
john fenech
Dec 20th 2009, 13:40
Mr. Barrett I am a driver and a pedestrian and as I have said before a good percentage of the drivers give the impression that any lawful sign, which will slow down or stop their progress, is considered an infringement of their rights.
There might be some signs, which are not well placed, poorly illuminated, or obstructed by scrub or even missing. However, in Ballutta, St Julians, the Ferries, Hamrun and Pieta to mention just a few the pedestrian using the zebra crossing might be accused of attempting to get a free ride to the ITU or to the everlasting.
It is true that some of the pedestrians are careless or do not know the basic safety rules to traverse the safety crossing but as drivers we are obliged by law to reduce speed whenever we are approaching a safety crossing and stop if the pedestrian wishes to cross. As a courtesy, the driver should stop if the person is position without the need for the pedestrian to signal his intention.
So instead of pointing fingers we must ensure to observing the driving code and be courteous to the pedestrians and all road users.
D.galea
Dec 20th 2009, 12:43
I have been noticing the same situation for various months now at B'Kara. I may be wrong but if my calculations are right about 80% of the cars that do not stop are driven by females. Very interesting....
Henry Naudi
Dec 20th 2009, 12:14
This is diabolical but not surprising! So much for the locals and their much-vaunted concern for others. This adds to the evidence that (1) people here are either not bothered,; (2) couldn’t care less about others; or (3) are totally inconsiderate about anything outside their immediate circle of family and friends is not worth the effort.
Examples of other evidence:-
1) rubbish in the streets - few can be bothered to put throw-away stuff in bins;
2) you must have seen drivers and passengers throwing bits of paper, anything, out of their cars whilst driving. It happens all the time.
3) take-away boxes, sandwich packs, plastic bottles, etc – you name it - it’s on pavements all over the place!
4) Illegal dumping – building stones, metal objects, etc – by the roadside in thousands wherever you go.
Sorry – but people-consideration-standards here are ABYSMAL. Very few are prepared to make the effort to keep the place clean and to show consideration for others. Whether it's laziness, total disregard for others, etc. it is just endemic.
Disregard for pedestrians at crossings is just one one example of a society where the majority don't give a damn!
Paul Barrett
Dec 20th 2009, 11:54
From a drivers prospective, many of the crossings are virtually invisible with often nil or badly placed warning signs. You can only slow down for a crossing if you know it is there - to break suddenly for no apparent reason, especially on a slippery road can cause even more accidents. Additionally, pedestrians often seem to hang around a crossing having a chat with no intention of actually crossing the road.
Road safety and the safety of pedestrians is a two way responsibility.
a licari
Dec 20th 2009, 11:46
Any dangerous drivers reported? Any photos of number plates taken? Any car numbers retained? If not, this was a futile exercise and more pedestrians like poor Mr Bonello will be knocked down by hit and run maniacs.