Look out zebra crossing

27 March 2006

A pantomime zebra will be led across various Christchurch pedestrian crossings during the week starting 3 April to raise awareness of the need for motorists to stop for pedestrians. The zebra’s first appearance will be at the crossing outside Westburn School at 8.30am on Monday 3 April.

“The idea of the campaign is to raise awareness among drivers of the need to slow down and pay attention as they approach pedestrian crossings,” Christchurch City Council road safety co-ordinator Susan Cambridge said. “The crossings chosen at local schools and shopping centres are those where there have been conflict between pedestrians and vehicles,” she said. Zebra themed notices on the approaches to the crossings will tell drivers ‘Look out, zebra, crossing'.

“Drivers need to be on the look out for pedestrian crossings in suburban areas because many of these are near schools,” the Council’s schools co-ordinator Joy Kingsbury- Aitken said. “Besides being extra careful before and after school when large numbers of children use the crossings, they need to keep in mind the possibility of a single child using the crossing at other times.”

In New Zealand from 2001 to 2005, there were 14 pedestrians killed at pedestrian crossings and 475 injured, 108 of them seriously. In Christchurch, in the same five years, there were 20 pedestrian casualties at pedestrian crossings including one death and six people seriously injured.

“Pedestrian crossings are places where pedestrians should be able to cross the road in safety,” Ms Cambridge said. “Drivers need to slow down as they approach them and be prepared to stop.”

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