Zebra crossings are black and white stripes from one side of the road to the other, just like a zebra.
Traffic should stop if drivers see you waiting to cross.
Wait on the pavement until all the traffic has stopped.
When it is safe to do so, walk straight across the crossing.
Make sure you keep looking and listening for traffic as you cross.
If the zebra crossing has a traffic island in the middle, you must treat this as two crossings.
(http://www.tfl.gov.uk/corporate/projectsandschemes/communityandeducation/juniorroadsafety/2485. aspx)
I WAS in Australia some time ago. While trying to cross a road, traffic stopped for us at a zebra crossing. This happened every time we crossed the road.
My son marvelled at the politeness of Australian drivers. I told him that it was the law that all drivers must give way to pedestrians at zebra crossings.
My son said Malaysian drivers did not do that. "Is the law different here?" he asked.
I told him the law applies here, too.
Back in Petaling Jaya one day, while crossing the road, I decided to test my son's theory. I stood at the side of the zebra crossing.
Cars zoomed by. I must have stood there for more than a minute and not a single car stopped. I edged further out onto the road. Still no one stopped. Not only did the cars not slow down, they just zoomed by without noticing me, the pedestrian, nor the zebra crossing.
I tried this experiment four times at different parts of the town. Only once did a car stop for me; not because, I think, of the zebra lines, but more out of kindness at seeing a woman trying to cross the road.
There are kind drivers who would stop to let pedestrians cross the road even though not at pedestrians crossings but most drivers just zoom by with no regard for the white (yellow) and black lines. Even police patrol cars do not stop.
I think it's time the authorities did something about traffic rule compliance.
I also wish we can have more policemen patrolling on foot.
W.C.T.
Sungai Buloh,
Selangor
(http://www.nst.com.my/nst/articles/19trule/Article/)
In my opinion, if there is a zebra crossing, we should adhere to the rule.Respect the pedestrians.
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