Jay-walking is a common occurrence in our country, even where over-head pedestrian bridges and other means of crossing the road are available. Some roads are upgraded and railings are built in the centre to discourage the jay-walkers but people still exploit openings that the railing have where they are connected with the street-light pole.
More than Rs260 million have been spent on constructing footbridges that are most likely to go to waste. In 2011, more than 400 pedestrians were killed in Karachi alone – most of them on the National Highway, Shahra-e-Faisal and the Korangi Industrial Area Road.
Our people always try to find a short cut in everything. But there’s no shortcut in safety. Our government should impose any jay-walking law with the help of the officials. To discourage Jay-Walking a fine should be applicable by traffic policemen.
Mohammad Arsalan Ahmed
Karachi
