10 Oct 2018

Pedestrians are said to be reluctant to utilise pedestrian bridges across some roads in Gaborone despite the fact that such bridges are vital for saving lives.

Speaking in an interview with BOPA recently, head of traffic for Mogoditshane Police Station, Superintendent Boiki Mojalemotho said the pedestrian-crossing bridges such as the ones across the Nelson Mandela Highway in Broadhurst and Government Enclave, which were constructed to help facilitate smooth pedestrian crossings on the busy roads.

He said the bridges were constructed after it was realised that there was a high rate of accidents along those roads with pedestrians in some instances losing their lives.

He said the Road Safety Committee’s concern now was that the bridges were not being utilised, which defeats the very purpose for which they were constructed.

Superintendent Mojalemotho, who is also Mogoditshane/Thamaga Sub-district road safety committee member, said pedestrians mostly chose to go under the bridges to cross the road as they said it was easier than going over the bridges.

He however cautioned that this was putting their lives at risk.

He indicated that pedestrians were so reluctant to go over the bridges that they had damaged the rails meant to deny them access of crossing underneath, with others even jumping over the rails.

Superintendent Mojalemotho said pedestrians, just like other road users, should know that they are regulated by law, which they are expected to abide by and that when a pedestrian is hit by a vehicle, it does not always necessarily mean that the driver is at fault.

He said the Road Traffic Act requires pedestrians to conduct themselves in such a manner that does not constitute a source of danger to themselves or other road users, and that crossing the road under the bridges therefore violates such a requirement.

Superintendent Mojalemotho said with four road lanes under those pedestrian bridges, pedestrians were most of the time, forced to wander around waiting for an opportune time to cross.

He advised that where there were no pedestrian bridges or crossings, pedestrians should cross the road upon satisfying themselves that the road was free of oncoming traffic.

He cautioned that pedestrians could even be charged for misconduct and even be required to answer for a civil matter between them and the driver if they were to be hit by a vehicle under the pedestrian bridges. ENDs