Updated: Woman critically injured in Sliema accident

jmicallef

Mar 9th 2010, 13:19

@ alfred abela - or else install a warning sign stopping all Italians from crossing at this spot!

Kidding apart, this accident happened in very poor conditions. Notwithstanding, driver awareness is key issue to reduce accidents or the extent of the damage & injuries.

I keep noticing that there are a plenty of road signs which are in poor state or hidden away either by trees, shop signs or, ironically, other road signs!!!

I wish the Italian lady a speedy recovery and the poor driver - who must have had the shock of her life - a quick return to normal life. It's no joke hitting a person.

Now, apart form this accident...

I think that we need to look at this problem holistically - educating the drivers and the pedestrians, build safer roads (signage, visibility, surface traction) and change our King-of-The-Road-I-Inherited-From-My Uncle attitude.

ALFRED ABELA

Mar 9th 2010, 09:54

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME THAT HAPPENED ON THE SAME
ZEBRA CROSSING,FEW YEARS AGO AN ITALIAN MAN WAS HIT
ON THE SAME ZEBRA CROSSING SO TRAFFIC LIGHTS MUST BE INSTALL.

G Falzon

Mar 9th 2010, 01:24

Most zebra/pedestrian crossings are barely visible! The white paint being used is probably not suitable for the purpose. Accompanying (blinking) lights are not always installed and in most of the cases these go off when most needed, i.e. during rain and storms! Pity our roads! It is also true that several vehicles do not stop at zebra crossings or even ignore red lights. Spend 15 minutes watching any busy traffic lights (e.g. the ones near Addolorata) and you will regularly count tens of cars driving while the lights are red. Traffic cameras, intelligent enough to capture these trespassers, should be installed at traffic lights once our drivers bluntly defy laws unless their pockets are squeezed!

Robert Zammit

Mar 8th 2010, 22:42

Ouch !!!

Tony Gatt

Mar 8th 2010, 22:40

It is an off-chance but as this lady was Italian she may have looked the wrong way, i.e. expecting traffic to come from her left as she steooped off the pavement.
This is not as uncommon as all that- Winston Churchill was knocked down by a taxi in New York where traffic drives on the opposite side of the road to the U.K., and Malta of course.

George Debono

Mar 8th 2010, 21:57

Continued....

419. A dangerous situation can also arise if the lights are out of order. Seeing no red light, drivers do not slow down or do not stop to allow pedestrians to cross as they would at a zebra crossing.

420. Except in wide dual- or multiple- carriageway roads with uninterrupted fast flowing traffic, pelican pedestrian crossings controlled by traffic lights should be removed and replaced by highly visible, well-signposted zebra crossings.


So - you see - it is not a simple matter... but a simple well designed Zebra crossing is best...

G

George Debono

Mar 8th 2010, 21:55

Peter Montanaro here's a comprehensive answer....

EXTRACT FROM "Towards a Low Carbon Society - the Nation's Health, Energy Security and Fossil Fuels" (can be downloaded from http://www.tppi.org.mt/cms/index.php/reports .. )

417. Pedestrian crossings controlled by traffic lights (pelican crossings) encourage faster driving speeds. A visible green traffic light at a distance tempts drivers to speed up whereas well-signposted zebra pedestrian crossings
with prominent Belisha beacon signs and road markings induce car drivers to drive more carefully at a slower speed. The absence of traffic lights therefore also exerts a traffic calming effect and, on balance, decreases stop-start driving.


418. Pelican crossings are also pedestrian unfriendly as they give pedestrians low priority by obliging them to wait at the roadside until the traffic light changes, often exposing them unnecessarily to pollution from passing traffic. Such pedestrian crossings are usually self-defeating. If pedestrians need to wait for too long by for the traffic light to change in their favour, they become impatient and cross the road when there is an interval in the traffic flow. Cars are then obliged to stop unnecessarily at a red light long after the pedestrians have crossed.


Continues

Peter Montanaro

Mar 8th 2010, 19:56

A simple solution is to insall traffic lights at sebra crossing.Pedestrian comes to the crossing and stops,press the botton and wait for the green man.Driver sees the red light and stops.Pedestrian crosses and is safe on the other side I come to Malta often to visit my family,and many times use the crossing in Msida opposit Avis.I was several times almost run down there.Once there was even a policeman near the crossing(probably guarding the bank),he did not move and when I told him what happened he said he did not see anything.

C Cassar

Mar 8th 2010, 19:48

@ S.Debono : If you look at the video footage of the aftermath of this accident you will see that this crossing has the blue sign indicating that a crossing is present. Additionally, surely there should be a mandatory 5 year jail sentence for seriously injuring someone on a crossing and 10 years if death is a result?

smifsud

Mar 8th 2010, 19:03

if you hit someone on Zebra crossing then you have a huge problem in your hands and Malta need to take every driver in for a retest for his driving license ,its ashame that Maltese drivers dont have respect for pedestrains ...this should be punished with heavy fines and up to including jail time ....there is such a crime called Veicular homicide!!!

lgalea

Mar 8th 2010, 18:53

I have been suggesting for eons that Zebra crossings be made higher than the road like big sleeping policeman for two purposes. The pedestrians will not have to cross through water when it is raining, but most important drivers will have to reduce speed whenever they approach a zebra crossing. I saw this implemented somewhere I cannot presently remember where, but this should be the standard practice.

George Debono

Mar 8th 2010, 17:59

Alfred Farrugia :


RE In bad weather drivers and pedestrians need to take extra care.

And shouldn't cars take extra care too ???.

G

S.Debono

Mar 8th 2010, 17:49

@ C.Cassar. No not all zebra crossings have the blue triangular sign!!! They should....but they don't. They have either been damaged or not placed. If you are driving up church street St Julians i can think of one just abite further than arkadia!! many others i have come across also!!

Jos Vella

Mar 8th 2010, 17:46

@Joe Fountain
it seems that you have never got a taste of Greece, or Sicily. It is worst than in Malta. But yes you are right ignorance reigns amongst some of the maltese drivers. I am using 'some' instead of 'plenty' because we do not get 10 or more cases per day, although we do get 10 or more misses.

George Debono

Mar 8th 2010, 17:45

I use this pedestrian crossing frequently and it is dangerous.

I once gesticulated at a motorist who almost ran over my toes and narrowly missed killing my dog (who was on a leash) - the motorist screeched to a stop, got out and tried to pick a fight with me.

The Sliema front is a paradise for show-off driving and the driving becomes very dangerous at weekends. If I had my way I would close the Sliema front to traffic at week-ends --- or, better still, go modern and turn the promenade into a "home zone" style road (or Dutch "woonerf") by cobbling the surface (rumble makes drivers go slowly) and giving pedestrians priority. (Read paras 379 - 399 of "Towards a Low Carbon Society - the Nation's Health, Energy Security and Fossil Fuels" available at http://www.tppi.org.mt/cms/index.php/reports .

But then -- this would be a dream - our road philosophy is that of 80 years ago.

G

Alfred Farrugia

Mar 8th 2010, 17:38

In bad weather drivers and pedestrians need to take extra care. Warning traffic signs are less visible, the carriageway markings are practically invisible in the rain and could be more slippery, and stopping distances increase on wet roads. This means that drivers need to slow down more in these situations.

Pedestrians may have the right to cross at marked crossings, but this is not an absolute right. In some foreign countries, if all the lights or beacons are not functioning the crossing is no longer valid. And what is the use of this right if one gets hurt?

Parked cars on one side of the road may block the view of the driver and render the pedestrian less visible, so pedestrians need to act with caution. Stepping abruptly from behind parked cars on a wet road may be very dangerous for the pedestrian himself or herself. I am not saying that this is what happened in this particular case. I do not know the details. More road education will not hurt. I wish all those concerned a speedy recovery.

Joe Fountain

Mar 8th 2010, 17:31

i hate to say it but the maltese tend to think that the white lines on the street are there for decoration. i have often had to wait a substantial amount of time on zebra crossings before anyone has the decency to stop and let me cross the road! i m surprised there aren't more traffic accidents.

C Cassar

Mar 8th 2010, 17:28

@ S.Debono: All zebra crossing have a blue triangular sign indicating their presence. It's the drivers responsibility to look ahead when driving in order to have time to react to the information on the signage.

Some strategically placed wardens with a police motorbike parked further up the street for the interception is what is required in order to catch those that ignore what is quite clear signage at these crossings.

J Bajada

Mar 8th 2010, 17:28

I know how you can solve such contravention.. fix a speed camera. Lately, Its the only solution the ADT are having. Yes fix a speed camera with 5KM/H.

S.Debono

Mar 8th 2010, 17:14

Att. C. Cassar Yes the pedestrian has the right of way on a zebra crossing but still the pedestrian should make sure the car is slowing down to stop before just flying out for his/her own safety!! Many drivers might not know of upcoming zebra crossings. Many of them are faded and only give you chance to notice when seeing a pedestrian waiting on the side so both drivers and pedestrians need to be more aware!!

Pamela Hansen

Mar 8th 2010, 16:56

The car must have been driven at a certain speed for the windscreen to shatter. Is there a speed limit clearly signed on this road? Some drivers just have no idea that they should slow down when driving through towns and villages.

L Pace

Mar 8th 2010, 16:16

Yes it's true that sometimes cars do not stop for pedestrians. I was driving through (flooded) Msida this morning and a woman was crossing on the zebra crossing in front of HSBC. The car in front of me just drove on leaving this woman in the middle of the road!!

C Cassar

Mar 8th 2010, 15:50

@Claudia Pecorella: The pedestrian has the right of way on a crossing as soon as they put a foot on the road at the crossing. This is what the majority of Maltese drivers fail to understand. The driver will always be at fault if the pedestrian has already started to cross, even just one foot on the crossing.

I suggest that a large speed hump be installed before each crossing, around 5 metres before. This will force all vehicles to slow down and prevent many of the near (and direct hits) misses that occur each day.

M. Vella

Mar 8th 2010, 15:40

Whilst this is a sad incident, and one hopes for the casualty's full recovery let us please not start pointing fingers in the direction of the driver only.

There are many instances where pedestrians just assume that they have a God given right to just cross the road, over a zebra crossing, without looking and expecting a car to make a dead stop.

Education is needed from all areas. Let us stop blaming drivers all the time please!

I repeat that I am not blaming the woman, as I did not see the accident, but taking a generic stance.

chris knight

Mar 8th 2010, 15:12

this was so horrible - I drove past as the lady was been pulled off the bonnet of the car. Malta, please slow down when it rains ..peds grow eyes in the back of your heads - there is no mercy on Maltas deathtrap roads full of crazy and angry drivers..

this is such a stupid accident its unreal!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

:(

l.borg

Mar 8th 2010, 14:53

if there was no pedestrians crossing no one should just cross the road,

Henry J Bonett

Mar 8th 2010, 14:45

This particular area is notorious. Try using the zebra crossing here, most cars keep speeding on even when one is already a metre away from the kerb and waving one's hands. It is much safer to wait until there are no cars and cross from wherever you are even if this is dangerous as well. Police and/or Wardens should be utilized to monitor these places which must not be left to work on their own.

Claudia Pecorella

Mar 8th 2010, 14:39

Yes it is true that cars usually keep on going and do not stop for pedestrians but is it also the case that pedestrians do not wait for the cars to stop and just cross?

C Cassar

Mar 8th 2010, 13:51

Looks like the car failed to stop at the pedestrian crossing. This happens most of the time at most of the pedestrian crossings.