It Is Unlawful Not To Stop At A Zebra Crossing

Wednesday noon. It is a scorching day. I’m crossing Kampala road, at the Zebra Crossing, at the Main Post Office.
Traffic is heavy. Cars come speeding as though they intend to run over me. Panic-stricken, I stop in the middle of the Zebra Crossing and look both ways. A car hurtles towards me. Should I retrace my steps or proceed? Another car swerves round me, missing me by the narrowest of inches. A girl scampers towards the Post Office.
This is a common scene in the city today. Many motorists disregard the Zebra Crossings.
The Crossings date back to 1951. It had been found that crossings were being ignored by pedestrians and drivers. To overcome this, the new Zebra Crossing was introduced.
The 1951 measure ratified the black and white stripes, gave precedence to pedestrians and prohibited waiting near the crossing. This followed the 1949 United Nations Conference on Road and Motor Traffic. The recommendations of the conference were implemented in 1952 in a number of countries. They were basic rules for road usage.
The Zebra Crossing is one of the traffic control devices. The controls are necessary for regulating, warning and guiding motor vehicle and pedestrian traffic.
One of the major causes of road accidents is disregarding traffic controls.
According to cadet ASP Sarah Kibwika, the Deputy Regional Traffic Officer, Kampala extra, cars should stop outside the Zebra Crossing to allow the pedestrians to cross the road safely.
The Police Officer acknowledges that many motorists ignore the Zebra Crossings.
“It has been observed that some drivers ignore Zebra Crossings,” reveals Kibwika. “Cars are expected to slow down as they approach the Zebra crossing. There is a line before the Zebra Crossing where cars should stop, if there are people crossing the road.”
The traffic boss says failure to stop at the Zebra crossing is a traffic offense.
“It amounts to reckless driving, hence, failure to comply with traffic road signs.”
The penalty for the offense is stipulated in the 1998 Traffic and Road Safety Act, sections 133(1) and 177(1).
The offender is liable to a fine not exceeding 30 Currency Points or imprisonment not exceeding one year or both. One currency point is equivalent to sh20,000.

However, Mubiru, a driver says: “We are forced to continue driving so as to compel them to cross quickly. Pedestrians are not educated about traffic controls. Besides, sometimes there are too many people crossing the road. One can’t wait for all of them to cross.”
Emmy Oboth, an undergraduate at Makerere, disagrees with Mubiru. “The drivers ignore the Zebra Crossings in their haste to make money.”
Like Oboth, Lillian Aketch, a primary five pupil at Bethel Children’s centre in Bukesa, points a finger at the motorists. “Often we have to run to avoid being knocked by speeding cars.”
The traffic boss argues that it is not the responsibility of the police to paint the Zebra Crossings. “It is the work of the Ministry of Works. We work hand-in-hand with them. The Police advise them to repaint where stripes have faded. Stripes should be conspicuous. All road users have a duty to promote road safety,” says Kibwika. Ends