Pedestrians’ attitude at zebra crossings

Following the report concerning the controversial siting of the Floriana zebra crossing (Woman Hit By Car On New Zebra Crossing, September 16) and the letters by my friend André Zammit, I would like to comment on some pedestrians’ wrong attitude towards the use of zebra crossings (not those controlled by traffic lights).

I have no intention of joining the fray and I do not refer to this particular case. However, it has unfortunately become common practice for pedestrians to walk haphazardly straight onto the zebra crossing without looking either way for oncoming traffic.

The wrong perception of some pedestrians seems to be that zebra crossings give them the absolute right to cross the road regardless of any cars approaching at close vicinity. Regrettably, courtesy on our roads seems to be a matter of the past and people are nowadays more concerned in getting there first. As a result, there have been instances when unwitting pedestrians were knocked down on a pedestrian crossing by cars whose drivers were not held to blame by our courts.

The Transport Authority and the police should make it their business to educate and discipline the public on such malpractices.