[sustran] Re: fwd comments on Brazil pedestrian situation

[Jain Alok]

No amount of legislation or guidelines is helpful for pedestrians unless
there is a strong will to enforce it. A pedestrian is the poorest soul on
the roads (my definition includes sidewalks) who is being constantly
intimidated by iron monsters while the belching smoke is constantly killing
him. If the former spares the latter gets him.

In a number of countries even segregated sidewalks are not safe for them
because people on mobikes and cars use them for "shortcuts" on congested
streets (a common sight in Bangkok) or "parking" (list of cities too big for
this discussion group). And some of these cities have very flashy and
ideological "policies" towards pedestrians. Giving right-of-way to the
pedestrians at crossings is expecting too much in such circumstances.

Alok Jain
> ----------
> From: 	alanhowes at usaksa.com[SMTP:alanhowes at usaksa.com]
> Sent: 	September 25, 1999 1:18 AM
> To: 	sustran-discuss at jca.ax.apc.org
> Subject: 	[sustran] Re: fwd comments on Brazil pedestrian situation
> 
> On Mon, 20 Sep 1999 18:02:26 +0800, "Andrea" <andrea at mail.gravitt.org>
> wrote:
> 
> >>Earlier this year, my company sent me to Brazil and many people warned
> me
> >>that pedestrians never have the right of way and that I must yield to
> cars
> >>at all times unless there was a specific pedestrian signal.
> 
> Surprisingly enough, this does not seem to be the case here in Saudi
> Arabia - though it would be a brave pedestrian who assumed a car might
> give way to him or her (particularly the latter). The Highway Code
> (English version) has - 
> 
> - "You should help the Children and woman in crossing the road." and
> 
> - "Do not put the pedestrians in danger with your car."
> 
> Mind you, it also has "Do not scare others unless you want to be
> scared by them", and other such gems. And it fails to give any
> instructions about priority to pedestrians when making right
> (nearside) turns on red. And I have yet to meet another driver here
> who has actually _seen_ the code in question, let alone read it!
> -- 
> Alan & Jacqui Howes, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia (Formerly Perthshire, Scotland)
> alanhowes at usaksa.com
> http://www.users.zetnet.co.uk/alanhowes/  [Needs Updating!]
> 
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