Pedestrians could face fines for not paying attention while crossing the road
Pedestrians could be slapped with fines for not paying attention while crossing the road under a radical plan to cut the rising pedestrian death toll.
Law & Order
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Pedestrians should be slapped with a $200 fine for not paying attention when crossing the road, according to a peak advocacy group.
The Pedestrian Council of Australia has called for new fines to be introduced to improve safety outcomes on Australian roads as well as lowering speed limits and changing to traffic light countdown timers.
Victoria’s pedestrian death toll sits at 33, compared to 26 to the same time last year.
“We know pedestrians are behaving outrageously with mobile phones,” council chairman Harold Scruby said.
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“We’ve been calling for a new penalty — ‘cross road while distracted’. This means you can even be crossing with the green (light) and still get booked.”
Mr Scruby also called for:
30KMH zones in the CBD, rather than 40kmh;
COUNTDOWN timers for pedestrians while waiting at lights;
INCREASED crossing times and a 45-second wait for a green pedestrian light; and
SCRAMBLE crossings at intersections that allow pedestrians to walk diagonally.
But Assistant Commissioner Stephen Leane, of the road policing command, said Victoria Police was not considering further offences for distracted pedestrians.
“There is no doubt that walking down the street with headphones affects pedestrians’ auditory, visual and cognitive awareness, meaning they are much less aware of what’s going on around them,” he said.
“Distracted drivers, careless drivers, drivers who fail to give way or stop at traffic lights, driver inexperience and, on occasion, impaired drivers can also be factors.
“That’s why our message to everyone using our roads, whether they’re pedestrians, motorists or cyclists, is to look up and look out for each other.
“You may be doing the right thing, but if someone else isn’t, give yourself a chance to be able to stop in time. We have a number of offences in relation to pedestrians that can be found in the road rules and include, but are not limited to: fail to obey traffic lights, walk improperly on road, crossing road within 20m of pedestrian crossing, and fail to give way when crossing a bicycle path or separated footpath.”
Transport Accident Commission road safety manager Samantha Cockfield said: “No phone call or text message is worth taking your attention away from what’s happening on the road.”