Residents lament as Lagos drivers shun pedestrians at zebra

Some commuters have lamented what they described as a disregard for the Zebra Crossing signs on Lagos roads, saying the disobedience to the traffic sign makes commuting dangerous for pedestrians.

Some of the commuters who spoke with PUNCH Metro in separate interviews on Thursday said the enforcement of the traffic rule was weak on Lagos roads.

While speaking with PUNCH Metro, a commuter, Eniola Adaramola, said he was always careful when at any Zebra Crossing. Adaramola said, “I don’t even dare the drivers. Many of them don’t care about the pedestrians because they are always in a hurry. I don’t know where they are running to. Despite seeing the Zebra Crossing sign boldly marked on the road, they would still not wait. So, if you dare them and cross, you may regret doing so, that’s if you survive it.”

“I feel like there is a need to warn many drivers,” Adaramola told our correspondent who was on an on-the-spot assessment at the Zebra Crossing around Allen Avenue junction in Ikeja.

Another commuter, Juwon Oke, while speaking with PUNCH Metro lamented that the Zebra Crossing is one of the traffic signs usually abused on the roads. “I think the only place where I see that Zebra Crossing is duly obeyed is maybe if you’re within a very controlled institution, maybe, a campus or something. Elsewhere, it’s a death trap. One has to be very careful in this Lagos in particular. It’s usually abused,” Oke said.

“Well, I don’t know if it is ignorance. This time, it’s not even about the Danfo drivers, even private car owners who are expected to be educated also disregard it. Even when there is a traffic light, people still disobey traffic rules in Lagos let alone the Zebra Crossing. They usually speed off. But honestly, some very responsible drivers will wait for you at the Zebra Crossing. In places where there is no Zebra Crossing, when they see you, especially when there are about three or more persons, they wait for you to pass. So some drivers are very caring,” a commuter who gave her name simply as Pedro, said.

Our correspondent who was at the Allen Avenue Junction in Ikeja, and at the campus gate along the Lagos State University/Ojoo Road on Wednesday, observed that many drivers sped on the Zebra Crossings at these locations while only a few waited for the pedestrians to cross.

A student, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said drivers ought to “care for students crossing the road.” “In a place like this, many of us want to cross at one time or the other. But some drivers don’t want to wait at all, and it’s risky for students. This is a festive season and the rush is much.”

When asked why some drivers did not usually wait at the Zebra Crossing, a driver, Kamalu Idris, said, “We wait when people are there, but if you are not fast as a pedestrian, we also have somewhere to go, we will have to move. But it is good to wait for people who want to cross.”

Another driver at the Allen Ave Bus Stop, identified simply as Kola, simply said, “There is no time, no time, Bro,” when asked if he usually waited at the Zebra Crossing signs.

The Lagos Sector Commander, Federal Road Safety Corps, Babatunde Farinloye, when asked if the agency was aware of how some drivers ignored the Zebra Crossing signs, said, “Yes, we observe it, and we are working on it.”

Farinloye said, “We have started bringing up jingles on the proper use of the Zebra Crossing signs. The awareness is not there, there is ignorance. So, we are bringing out a kind of sensitisation – doing what we call domesticated public enlightenment in churches and marketplaces, and educating people on the proper use of the highway.”

“Even on the part of the pedestrians, people don’t know where to cross, how to cross, and when to cross. The issue of pedestrians abandoning the pedestrian bridge and crossing the road anyhow is part of the sensitisation that we are working on,” Farinloye added, noting the practice “is very dangerous.”

“The issue of Zebra Crossing – the moment somebody steps on the Zebra Crossing, any vehicle is supposed to stop, but that doesn’t mean when a vehicle is coming, you just suddenly step on it. A vehicle may be coming at a very high speed, so you don’t just step on the Zebra Crossing, you will have to watch and ensure that it is safe. But the moment you step on it, any sensible driver will know you have the right of way and should allow you to easily cross,” Farinloye told PUNCH Metro in a telephone interview.

He added, “Zebra Crossings are not found in just any place, we put it very close to schools, hospitals, marketplaces and mosques where people cross en masse.”