There have been several instances of pedestrians being hit by vehicles that have been reported in the state. Many of them have been hit-and-run cases. Some of these accidents have resulted in the fatality of the pedestrian. It won’t be wrong to say that Goa is a dangerous place for pedestrians. There are several reasons for this. The main reason being the lack of pavements for pedestrians to walk on. Pavements in the villages are non-existent. People are therefore forced to walk on the road shoulders. The widening of the roads at several places has resulted in the reduction of the width of the road shoulders. The pedestrians are therefore left with no other option but to walk on the road at the sides. Speeding vehicles and those overtaking other vehicles thus pose a danger to these pedestrians.
In the cities at several places the new buildings that have come up have taken up a major part of the pavements and converted them into stairways leading to the commercial establishments in these building. At some places the pavements have totally disappeared. In the Port Town of Vasco a major part of the pavement along the Swatantra Path has been designated as parking lot for both two-wheelers and four-wheelers. The large sized cars when parked here occupy almost the entire pavement leaving the pedestrians with very little options but to walk on the road. It is pertinent to note that vehicle owners drive their vehicles as if they own the roads. Some road-users may even argue that it is they who pay the road-tax (and not the pedestrians) and hence have undivided right to use the roads. As a result of this pedestrians are not given the right of way to even cross the roads.
Pedestrians are also in a way to be blamed for the danger they find themselves in while crossing the roads. The culture of “Zebra Crossing” is alien to the people in the state. As a general rule people have a right to cross the roads at the Zebra Crossing. The non-use of these facility has meant that vehicles do not slow down as they approach the zebra crossing. Now it seems more dangerous to cross the road at such zebra crossing. If the pedestrian thinks that the vehicle will slow down at such crossing, then he/she could be in for a surprise that could cost dearly. In western countries pedestrians can stop the vehicles by pressing a button which is placed at the side of the pavement. This switches on a red light and the vehicles are made to stop till the pedestrians cross the road. Such a concept could be tried out in the state.
However what is most important is for the vehicular drivers to change their mind-set. They should respect the rights of the pedestrians to cross the road. Until and unless such a change comes along, pedestrians will always live dangerously while crossing the road or walking on what is left of the pavement.
