‘Zombie’ pedestrians putting their lives at risk
Shocking footage has revealed ‘zombie’ Sydneysiders glued to their phones walking in front of buses and cars in startling numbers. One woman was cleaned up by a taxi moments after almost being hit by a bus. WATCH THE VIDEO
Central Sydney
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A bus is stopped at a red light on busy Eddy Ave in Haymarket while pedestrians stream across the road.
The light turns green before an oblivious young woman runs out in front of the 18-tonne vehicle, which slams on its brakes saving her from serious injury.
But what she doesn’t see is that an unsuspecting taxi is passing to its left and she is horrifically cleaned up. Amazingly, the woman jumps back to her feet and runs from the scene.
That was just one example of what Transport and Roads Minister Andrew Constance has called a rising trend of “zombie” pedestrians who are putting their lives at risk on NSW roads.
Shocking footage released on Thursday from incidents in the CBD, Manly Cale, Surry Hills and Alexandria revealed how people are ignoring “basic road sense” by venturing onto busy streets while glued to their phone screens or engrossed in music or podcasts.
The warning came with the sobering news 38 pedestrians have been killed on the state’s roads, with three of the fatal incidents involving a bus.
“We are seeing a worrying increase in zombie-like behaviour from pedestrians and it needs to end now before more lives are lost,” Mr Constance said.
“There are pedestrians crossing roads distracted, head down, looking at their phone. We have others running across roads in front of moving vehicles.”
A frustrated Mr Constance has been forced to constantly stress the importance of road safety in the inner city in recent months, with several instances of pedestrians risking death during testing on Sydney’s new tram network.
State Transit chief executive Steffen Faurby said bus drivers involved in crashes with pedestrians often suffered significant trauma.
“The last thing a bus driver wants is to be involved in an incident with any road user,” he said.
“A standard 12.5 metre-long bus can weigh up to 18 tonnes, and while they are operated by professional drivers these vehicles cannot stop easily or quickly.”
Despite perennial fears about children and road safety, NSW Centre for Road Safety executive director Bernard Carlon said preliminary data showed 86 per cent of pedestrians killed on the roads were aged 18 and over.
“While we are seeing improvements, we need all pedestrians to be safer, especially around busy roads where heavy vehicles like buses operate,” Mr Carlon said.
