The Traffic Department of the Royal St. Vincent and the Grenadines Police Force
is calling on both drivers and pedestrians to be more responsible when it comes to
the use of crossings.
Police Constable 1040 Hunte during WE FM’s Traffic Talk segment said this was
an issue that the department had taken notice of and it is one that they have seen
increase in over time.
“According to the pedestrian crossing regulation, any driver who stops on a
pedestrian crossing or fails to stop at a pedestrian crossing is guilty of an offense.
We have also noticed that pedestrians would linger on the crossing, in other words,
there are pedestrians who, while crossing, would be on their phones, or even upon
reaching halfway on the pedestrian crossing they will turn back or just to add, they
will walk at a very slow pace while having conversations with others,” he said.
Expanding on issues that the Traffic Department has observed when it comes to
pedestrians and crossings, PC 1040 Hunte called on pedestrians to respect the
authority of officers when utilizing the crossing.
“We have observed that there are pedestrians who don’t respect the police officer
while that officer is regulating the traffic, they would walk across the pedestrian
crossing while the officer is regulating the traffic. We are advising persons to desist
from such practice and once an officer is at a pedestrian crossing to respect that
officer and wait on that officer’s permission before crossing,” he said.
PC 1040 Hunte noted that an officer is placed at a crossing not only to ensure the
free movement of traffic but to also ensure the safe crossing of pedestrians.