OPINION

Pedestrians and motorists need to focus more on their skills, road courtesy, tolerance and less on each other. In my experience there is a similar amount of arrogance behind steering wheels as there is behind handlebars. No cyclist, pedestrian or motorist leaves home in the morning with the intention of being involved in an accident, but some of the behaviour of some of these people on the road would suggest otherwise.

One morning recently I was out walking. In the distance I saw a man approaching, while reading a book. At first, I thought he was checking directions on a small pocket map but no, he was reading a message on his phone. Furthermore, he had ear phones plugged in, presumably listening to the radio also. He was obviously somewhat aware of his surroundings, because as he approached me he moved a little to avoid me. Near the pedestrian crossing I stopped to see if he was going to attempt to cross the road. Yes he did, quite aggressively. Without confirming that the car was able to stop, he walked out on to the crossing. Of course, the next thing was the sound of car horns blowing, followed by arrogant exchanges between the motorist and the pedestrian. Not a pleasant sight and not a great example for any children that may have witnessed it, in terms of manners and road safety.

Anybody out and about in our towns and cities comes across incidents like this every day. These kind of events are not only limited to motorists and pedestrians, cyclists are part of these fracas too.

When these kind of discussions make it into the public domain the comments generally become irrational and as we have often heard on radio talk shows, totally entrenched. One of the features of lockdown has been a resurgence in commuters walking and cycling. This is likely to continue after Covid-19 has been tamed. Already some road space has been lost to cycle lanes and extra walking areas. I think this will be the norm in the future. The question now is how motorists, cyclists and pedestrians learn to use the shared available space amicably and safely.

It is clear that a legislative solution is unlikely. In the past, as much as motorists would like to make pedestrians and cyclists legally responsible, it has not happened. In the absence of a legal framework a high profile publicity campaign is probably the best alternative. Before any campaign starts it might be better to do some looking at how these potential road rage incidents can be triggered.

Here is one example. When a car, truck or bus is waiting at a junction to turn right, it may only be able to complete the turn when the lights have gone red. By now the pedestrian light will have gone green, leading to a negative reaction from the waiting pedestrian. An engineering solution here may reduce flash points and make the roads safer.

Pedestrian crossings, both controlled and uncontrolled are a point of danger, mainly because the way to use them seems unclear to all users. The sense of righteousness that many road users have is giving them a false sense of security. Arrogance is one thing, but the biggest side effect here is carelessness, leading to injury and possibly death. Now is the time for the Road Safety Authority to extend its ‘road sharing’ campaign to this area.

The arrival of motorised scooters on the roads and footpaths recently is also a concern and another modern trend to be dealt with. It will be a challenge for legislators to find a way to allow them operate legally and safely on the road. Where to put them is the big question? On the footpath, cycle lane, bus lane or near the street kerbside? Of course, they will be playing catch up, there are hundreds of these motorised scooters out there as it is.

Trying to find a legislative solution to improve road safety for cyclists and pedestrians would be difficult but while pinning the blame on motorists may be easy and convenient, a high profile campaign to improve behaviour might lead to safer roads for everybody.

VIEW FROM THE OPERATOR’S DESK

Big & Small Wheels to keep on turning

Text: Sean Murtagh – sean@fleet.ie