GUWAHATI, April 25 - The city with its teeming population has seemingly no regard for traffic rules or road safety.
Zebra crossing is a simple and efficient way of enabling people to cross the road. However, it has lost its purpose. Pedestrians are often seen scrambling on the road to save themselves from speeding vehicles by any means possible. This often leads to utter chaos, which finally culminates in a traffic jam or a road accident.
The zebra crossings on the city roads have more or less become redundant either by fading away due to the forces of nature, or due to the lack of importance given to road safety. People at large seem to have forgotten about the existence of these crossings.
Walking across the road along a stretch other than the zebra crossing, jumping over the iron railings erected at the centre of the road or zigzagging one�s way through moving vehicles have become a way of life. �We live in a society where everyone is in a rush and people choose short-cuts,� said a pedestrian.
�Measures ought to be taken so that people become aware of using zebra crossings,� a traffic policeman said. At the city�s busiest intersections � Zoo Road Tiniali, Ganeshguri and Chandmari, among others � the presence of zebra crossings is seemingly unknown to pedestrians. Vehicles on the streets are another menace as they do not stop at their designated points, rather covering zebra crossings at certain places, which adds to the burden of the people.
Sensitisation on the use of the zebra crossing should be started at the primary level, a pedestrian said, adding that several people do not know the use of these black and white stripes.
