The man might have been in his sixties. The road adjacent to my apartment is probably eight to ten metres wide. He stood right in the middle of the road on the dividing line looking at vehicles on both sides, helplessly. I walked out of the apartment into the departmental store attached to the building, purchased what I had to and returned to find the old man rooted to the same point, looking helpless. The purchase should have taken a good two to three minutes at most.
This is what most pedestrians in the city are put through when they cross the road.
Most drivers show no hint of respect to the pedestrian (does the pedestrian show any to the driver?) Why does that happen? (Please, don't blame it on the population of our country) I ponder over the question and that teaches me a way of classifying drivers.
This classification is based on reactions of drivers when interviewed, predicted by my cognition. Here are some answers to queries on momentary feelings on spotting a pedestrian waiting to cross the road.
Type 1 : "I don't stop for the pedestrians to cross the road, I need to reach my destination quickly. Wait, I don't really see a pedestrian until he comes before my vehicle and I don't want to get into a murder case."
It is bereaving that a majority of the drivers are under this category. The 'man crossing the road' saw many of them pass by in his brief ordeal in the middle of the road, so did I from the safe end.
Type 2 : "Yes, I notice a pedestrian waiting to cross the road. I don't stop though, because no one else does. Why should I stop when they don't? So that the vehicle behind hits mine? Let her/him cross after all the the vehicles pass by. Moreover, I am in a hurry."
If similar kinds were to be grouped, here we have the second largest group. Although different from Type 1 in mentality, the outcome is the same. The 'man crossing the road' is still stranded.
This is what most pedestrians in the city are put through when they cross the road.
Most drivers show no hint of respect to the pedestrian (does the pedestrian show any to the driver?) Why does that happen? (Please, don't blame it on the population of our country) I ponder over the question and that teaches me a way of classifying drivers.
This classification is based on reactions of drivers when interviewed, predicted by my cognition. Here are some answers to queries on momentary feelings on spotting a pedestrian waiting to cross the road.
Type 1 : "I don't stop for the pedestrians to cross the road, I need to reach my destination quickly. Wait, I don't really see a pedestrian until he comes before my vehicle and I don't want to get into a murder case."
It is bereaving that a majority of the drivers are under this category. The 'man crossing the road' saw many of them pass by in his brief ordeal in the middle of the road, so did I from the safe end.
Type 2 : "Yes, I notice a pedestrian waiting to cross the road. I don't stop though, because no one else does. Why should I stop when they don't? So that the vehicle behind hits mine? Let her/him cross after all the the vehicles pass by. Moreover, I am in a hurry."
If similar kinds were to be grouped, here we have the second largest group. Although different from Type 1 in mentality, the outcome is the same. The 'man crossing the road' is still stranded.
Type 3 :
“I can very well see her/him waiting in distress to cross the road. I try to pause
and let her/him go. However sometimes…I just don’t know why, I can’t get
myself to stop.”
‘Oh sad’ and
only two words of sympathy. This is the kind, that shows hope, that brakes, but never really reaches zero velocity. The man is still stranded, prefers
suicide to the indefinite wait and puts a foot forward when he meets Type 4.
Type 4 :
“Oh no! A pedestrian caught in the middle of the road? I would let her/him cross
any day. You see.. I’ve been there.. I
know the feeling plus it’s a compromise on safety”
The man is
pleased. He crosses the road (with a smile when he meets the kind first or disparaged after a long wait). This kind is least seen on our roads. |
| Oh the shop is on the other side? Lets cross here. |
An Indian pedestrian comes across such a variety of mindsets while crossing the road. There are not many crossing junctions in the city. The pedestrian in most cases is left with no other option, but to brave the oncoming traffic. Pedestrians here, have trained themselves that way.
You don't everywhere come across Zebra crossing lines in the city and where you do, the vehicles cover it. ("I will still follow the rule"?) The only option then, is to walk over the vehicles.
Not many of us here actually know how the Zebra crossing system works. The Highway Code says that motorists MUST give way to the pedestrian when someone has moved onto a crossing (Courtesy : devon.gov.uk). When I accidentally took to the road in a street in Toronto, an approaching motorist stopped his vehicle at the first sight of me, a good ten feet away. We exchanged glances, the motorist was probably wondering, "Oh that was close!" and I, the opposite. The local pedestrian there knows, that is how it works and she/he realises her/his duty, crosses only in crossing junctions. It is an understanding that other countries can only think about, that we have with motorists while crossing the road because the flaw here lies not just with the motorist, but the pedestrian too.
 |
| The green man walks when the vehicle signal goes red |
The Zebra crossing system hasn't made pedestrian crossing much easier in our place.
The only crossing system that works well is the Pelican Crossing (Green Man Crossing) system. The system requires a more expensive set up than the Zebra crossing and hence isn't found on all roads.
I'm sure every Indian pedestrian is relieved on spotting the Green Man.
The solution to the pedestrian problems : A change in mindset and better discipline, both among the drivers and the pedestrians, because honking past a pedestrian is no heroic act and the pedestrian must use his senses while crossing, better pedestrian crossing infrastructure and awareness among people regarding the same. Not everyone would understand Pelican Crossing panels (consists of a button that registers a pedestrian waiting to cross the road and adjusts the traffic signals accordingly) until educated about it (or even unless it is set up here). The pedestrian must use the Zebra crossing wherever possible and motorists must brake completely before the pedestrian. When stranded in the middle of the road, one must make a conscious effort to signal her/his presence when vehicles don't stop.
The solution to the pedestrian problems : A change in mindset and better discipline, both among the drivers and the pedestrians, because honking past a pedestrian is no heroic act and the pedestrian must use his senses while crossing, better pedestrian crossing infrastructure and awareness among people regarding the same. Not everyone would understand Pelican Crossing panels (consists of a button that registers a pedestrian waiting to cross the road and adjusts the traffic signals accordingly) until educated about it (or even unless it is set up here). The pedestrian must use the Zebra crossing wherever possible and motorists must brake completely before the pedestrian. When stranded in the middle of the road, one must make a conscious effort to signal her/his presence when vehicles don't stop.
The Indian pedestrian settles for the chaotic crossing experience and that must not be the case. Why settle for the helter-skelter everyday experience? In fact, all it takes is just a little to follow the rule and that can create a difference for the better.
