Further to the photograph ‘Pedestrians in Peril’ published in the Herald on June 18, this is my observation of the Miramar-Dona Paula Road (Caranzalem) as I am a regular pedestrian on this road.
So where do I begin? Let’s see! Try taking a walk down this Miramar-Dona Paula Road (Caranzalem) and it will show you how unsafe the road is for the pedestrians even without the rains. The rains amplify it.
Predominantly, you need to juggle your way through garbage strewn all along the way and on the sides of the footpath.
Mainly, due to lack of bins or tiny inconvenient bins which are covered with plastic — ‘not for use’ and if uncovered then filled to the brim. Thanks to the domestic tourists who throw empty bottles and food in front of you and onto the footpaths without a care (having no civic sense) during the tourist season. It seems to be their right. Keeping the environment clean, that’s another issue.
Then, you are required to jump over stray/pet dog and cow fecal droppings. The stray animals have a field day tearing into garbage bags littering the footpaths with dirty diapers, paper plates, food, etc even further making it more arduous to walk.
Furthermore, if you are an asthma patient or smoke is one of your triggers for allergies, then beware — people burn garbage, plants and leaves mainly around a restaurant and the petrol station during the dryer periods.
Make sure you wear a face mask or carry a handkerchief as health becomes an issue. Hold on: there’s more. Near a car showroom — motorcycles and cars park on the footpath so it means the pedestrian walks on the road nearly getting knocked down by racing cars and indisciplined scooterists. The rains make it a nightmare for the pedestrians as captured by Herald’s photograph.
Last but not the least, the footpath around school area is just a wee bit better, but garbage, animal fecal, food stalls and scooters still dominate the footpaths.
I would love to see the day that this beautiful residential and beach footpaths become attractive once again whereby pedestrians actually have a safe footpath to walk on and pedestrian no longer in peril.
