THIKA SUB-COUNTY RE-PAINTS ZEBRA CROSSINGS TO IMPROVE TRAFFIC SAFETY WITHIN THE CBD
Kiambu County Government on Saturday started re-painting
zebra crossings at the busy Kenyatta Highway to make them more visible to
pedestrians, drivers and cyclists alike.
Thika Township Ward Administrator, Madam Jessica Mukundi
confirmed that they had done since the stripes had all faded and were now
posing a great danger to pedestrians using the major roads within the C.B.D.
Thika District Business Association (TDBA) had called on the
authorities to consider repainting these zebra crossing lines to avoid road
accidents. According to the association’s secretary Mr. Alfred Wanyoike, most
of the roads were recently getting very risky to cross for the pedestrians
especially the old and those new in town, a situation that was inconveniencing
both pedestrians and motorists alike.
He added that zebra crossings were meant to ensure that
pedestrians were safe and didn’t have to worry about getting hit by a car while
walking across the road. He thanked the Sub-County Roads Engineer for the
efforts so far but added that it would be even better if they erected sign-posts
at a distance that indicated “Pedestrians Crossings Here”. This was meant to
alert motorists who were new in the area of possible human traffic ahead.
He appealed to the County government to put more Zebra
crossings and speed breakers (bumbs) in the area where people ran at risk of
being ran over by vehicles while crossing the road.
However, he appealed to all motorists especially cyclists
and bodaboda riders to respect the zebra crossings by giving way whenever
pedestrians were crossing the road. He said that some motorists continued
to ignore these zebra crossing, just blowing through the crossing thereby
endangering the safety of anyone trying to cross.
According to traffic rules, Zebra crossings are
controlled crossings where pedestrians have a legal priority over vehicles
without the use of traffic signals. Motorists are bound to stop their vehicles behind
the white line that marks the start of the zebra crossing.
Drivers approaching a zebra crossing should do so
with caution, as any pedestrian who steps onto the crossing has priority. They
must stop and give way to a pedestrian who has moved onto the zebra crossing
and should only start again once all pedestrians have left the crossing. They
must never overtake the moving or stopped vehicle closest to the zebra
crossing. Cars must never be stopped or parked on the zig-zag markings at a
Zebra crossing, as this reduces the visibility and can put pedestrians at a
greater risk.
A taxi driver who talked to Thika Town today, said that
pedestrians too needed to know how to use the Zebra Crossings.
“When pedestrians try to cross the road suddenly, their act
puts everyone in danger. They confuse us. They appear to cross but they don’t
and when we assume they won’t cross, they just do the opposite. This is risky
to all of us,” he said.
It is therefore good to remind Pedestrians wishing to cross at
a Zebra crossing that they must first stop at the edge of the road and wait for
the traffic to stop in both directions. When the traffic has stopped they should
cross whilst still watching for traffic. It is not unknown for cars to overtake
those which have stopped to allow a person to cross. If the crossing has an
island in the centre of the road, the pedestrian should stop on the island and wait
until the traffic on the opposite side of the road stops before continuing to
cross.
Pedestrians should also give traffic plenty of time to see the
oncoming vehicles and to stop before they cross. Vehicles will need more time
when the road is slippery. They should wait until traffic has stopped from both
directions or the road is clear before crossing.
It is good to note that traffic does not have to stop until
someone has moved onto the crossing. They should therefore keep looking both
ways, and listening, in case a driver or rider had not seen them and is attempting
to overtake a vehicle that has stopped
Crossing near the Zebra, but not actually on it, is very
dangerous as drivers are more likely to be focusing on the crossing itself and
may not see a person crossing elsewhere.
As for the Thika Town Crew we say, Great stuff! Kudos Thika
Sub-County authorities for this initiative!
Such are the little things that matter, especially in regards to
walkability and safe cycling.
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