Kathmandu, July 4

Traffic police today said they had taken action against over 2,000 motorists, who did not wait to allow pedestrians to cross the road safely using zebra crossings, in the past three weeks.

Metropolitan Traffic Police Division launched the drive to ensure pedestrian safety after roads and even the zebra-crossing gradually turned into a black spot in Kathmandu Valley.

Rabina Chaudhary, 19, died after being hit by a bus on zebra-crossing in Basundhara on June 5. Binay Tamang, driver of the bus, has been sent to jail on the charge of vehicular homicide. Drivers involved in road accidents near or on zebra-crossings are dealt with seriously. They may be slapped with up to 10 years of imprisonment depending on the gravity of the case.

DIG Mingmar Lama, in-charge at Metropolitan Traffic Police Division, warned, “Recklessness and negligence on the part of drivers are equally responsible for the rising number of pedestrian deaths. Pedestrians have found themselves in danger even when they use zebra-crossings to cross busy roads. Therefore, such vehicles are under our constant surveillance,” he informed, adding that over 2,000 erring motorists were booked in the past three weeks. They were slapped with a fine of Rs 1,000 each.

Traffic police have also booked vehicles stopped on zebra-crossings to pick and drop passengers.

According to DIG Lama, zebra-crossing is not a halting point for vehicles and motorists have to respect it and give priority to pedestrians to cross the roads safely.

Halting vehicles on zebra-crossing blocks the visibility of pedestrians. While traffic police are there to regulate the flow of vehicles near zebra-crossings at major intersections, inner roads in Kathmandu Valley lack enforcement of traffic rules.

DIG Lama suggested to the passengers not to cross the road alone and urged them to wait for others and form a group to cross the roads using zebra crossings. Nearly 150 persons are killed in road accidents across the country annually, according to MTPD.