Dimgba Igwe and safety of Pedestrians in Nigeria
NaijaRock
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Posted by Felix Okoli on Saturday September 27, 2014 at 11:36:16:
Media reports in Nigeria have been flooded with many tributes to the late Sun Newspaper Editor named Philip Igwe. Personally, I don't know him but I've read some of his writings and noticed that he writes on issues that are at least thought provoking and for the better good of the society. However, since his death, one of the things that have been bothering me was on the issue of pedestrian safety. How safe are Nigerian or Lagos roads for people who walk on foot? Majority of people who don't use cars in Nigeria are the ones that still vote people into power but that power is not working hard enough to offer protect them from fast moving cars while they are walking.Dimgba Igwe died as a result of injuries he sustained in Okota when he was hit by a fast moving car while he was doing his early morning jogging routine. The driver of the car that hit him did not stop to help and it also took some time before medical help came to him. Dimgba was doing what he has always been doing in a bid to keep fit and stay alive much longer for the society he loves but unfortunately, his time was up.We know say no be everybody wey get car but Dimgba had a car but he humbly chose to jog before going to work as a regular Nigerian and on a normal route he was used to exercising. It was not a busy road or an express road and there really was no justifiable reason why a car would hit him but it also goes to show that most roads in Nigeria are not really designed with pedestrians in mind. Most roads in Lagos especially are not designed to protect pedestrians. Yes, Nigerian roads are not as safe as they look.A pedestrian is simply a person who walks on foot or jogs on the road. He is not a person who is driving a car but as long as the person is moving on the road on foot, then he is a pedestrian for that moment. On Nigerian roads, pedestrians are the least protected.I would wish that most Nigerian roads at least have CCTV cameras but that may take a very long time but if they had it, at least it would capture a lot of things and help persecute drivers who hit people on the road with their machines. Prior to Dimgba Igwe's case, there has been a lot of hit and run victims and there probably will continue to be victims but I wonder what the government is doing to protect people.If you go to countries like the UK or USA, you'd notice that most roads now are designed not just for cars but also for people. You can even seen this by watching foreign movies or reality tv even without having to travel out of Nigeria. There is normally a barrier between car routes and people routes such that it's only a senseless or careless driver that would climb a pavement just to hit pedestrians. Yes, in developed countries and even some developing countries, pedestrians have their own path while cars have their own path such that they don't meet and when they ever meet, the pedestrian have a higher right over cars by means of a zebra crossing or stop traffic lights. In Nigeria, the reality is different because you are not really safe when crossing over a zebra crossing. I recently tried crossing one at Adeniran Ogunsanya street Surulere and was almost hit by a Keke Marwa(Tricycle). Hardly nobody waits for a pedestrian in Nigeria when he is trying to cross a zebra crossing on foot and they probably do it so brazenly because they are no law officials or CCTV cameras to catch them committing the offense. Even while a pedestrian is crossing the road when the traffic lights show red for the driver, he has to look, left and right before trying to cross the road because many drivers could kill him in an instant.It's only very few decent Nigerian car drivers that actually stop their car and wait for people to cross the road before moving and it goes to show that those people value other people more than they value their car.In reality, before God and man, human beings are much more valuable than machines and so car drivers really have no reason running over pedestrians while driving. Infact, the attitude of some dangerous car drivers as well as the weak protection which the government offers them makes it really hard for a pedestrian to live a long life.In Nigeria, particularly Lagos state, it is much easier to live a long life if you were always driving your car than if you were just an ordinary pedestrian. But the reality is that even regular drivers may at times have their moments as pedestrians and they may be faced with the same driving style they used against pedestrians while they were drivers.So, there are 3 things I wish the Nigerian government can do to protect pedestrians who regularly move on the road and this will also help them control car drivers. First, roads should be designed and built with pedestrian paths which should be different from car paths. Secondly, CCTV cameras should be mounted on several roads especially ones with zebra crossings and traffic lights so that offending car drivers can be prosecuted. Thirdly, traffic officials and policemen should work harder in arresting people who who don't obey traffic laws or oppress pedestrians.Dimgba Igwe didn't have to die in such a way if roads were built with pedestrians in mind. Unless they want every Nigerian to start driving a car all the time. We know that when that happens, we may end up having too many cars on the road and too many fat people who no longer exercise.
Comments:
Media reports in Nigeria have been flooded with many tributes to the late Sun Newspaper Editor named Philip Igwe. Personally, I don't know him but I've read some of his writings and noticed that he writes on issues that are at least thought provoking and for the better good of the society. However, since his death, one of the things that have been bothering me was on the issue of pedestrian safety. How safe are Nigerian or Lagos roads for people who walk on foot? Majority of people who don't use cars in Nigeria are the ones that still vote people into power but that power is not working hard enough to offer protect them from fast moving cars while they are walking.Dimgba Igwe died as a result of injuries he sustained in Okota when he was hit by a fast moving car while he was doing his early morning jogging routine. The driver of the car that hit him did not stop to help and it also took some time before medical help came to him. Dimgba was doing what he has always been doing in a bid to keep fit and stay alive much longer for the society he loves but unfortunately, his time was up.We know say no be everybody wey get car but Dimgba had a car but he humbly chose to jog before going to work as a regular Nigerian and on a normal route he was used to exercising. It was not a busy road or an express road and there really was no justifiable reason why a car would hit him but it also goes to show that most roads in Nigeria are not really designed with pedestrians in mind. Most roads in Lagos especially are not designed to protect pedestrians. Yes, Nigerian roads are not as safe as they look.A pedestrian is simply a person who walks on foot or jogs on the road. He is not a person who is driving a car but as long as the person is moving on the road on foot, then he is a pedestrian for that moment. On Nigerian roads, pedestrians are the least protected.I would wish that most Nigerian roads at least have CCTV cameras but that may take a very long time but if they had it, at least it would capture a lot of things and help persecute drivers who hit people on the road with their machines. Prior to Dimgba Igwe's case, there has been a lot of hit and run victims and there probably will continue to be victims but I wonder what the government is doing to protect people.If you go to countries like the UK or USA, you'd notice that most roads now are designed not just for cars but also for people. You can even seen this by watching foreign movies or reality tv even without having to travel out of Nigeria. There is normally a barrier between car routes and people routes such that it's only a senseless or careless driver that would climb a pavement just to hit pedestrians. Yes, in developed countries and even some developing countries, pedestrians have their own path while cars have their own path such that they don't meet and when they ever meet, the pedestrian have a higher right over cars by means of a zebra crossing or stop traffic lights. In Nigeria, the reality is different because you are not really safe when crossing over a zebra crossing. I recently tried crossing one at Adeniran Ogunsanya street Surulere and was almost hit by a Keke Marwa(Tricycle). Hardly nobody waits for a pedestrian in Nigeria when he is trying to cross a zebra crossing on foot and they probably do it so brazenly because they are no law officials or CCTV cameras to catch them committing the offense. Even while a pedestrian is crossing the road when the traffic lights show red for the driver, he has to look, left and right before trying to cross the road because many drivers could kill him in an instant.It's only very few decent Nigerian car drivers that actually stop their car and wait for people to cross the road before moving and it goes to show that those people value other people more than they value their car.In reality, before God and man, human beings are much more valuable than machines and so car drivers really have no reason running over pedestrians while driving. Infact, the attitude of some dangerous car drivers as well as the weak protection which the government offers them makes it really hard for a pedestrian to live a long life.In Nigeria, particularly Lagos state, it is much easier to live a long life if you were always driving your car than if you were just an ordinary pedestrian. But the reality is that even regular drivers may at times have their moments as pedestrians and they may be faced with the same driving style they used against pedestrians while they were drivers.So, there are 3 things I wish the Nigerian government can do to protect pedestrians who regularly move on the road and this will also help them control car drivers. First, roads should be designed and built with pedestrian paths which should be different from car paths. Secondly, CCTV cameras should be mounted on several roads especially ones with zebra crossings and traffic lights so that offending car drivers can be prosecuted. Thirdly, traffic officials and policemen should work harder in arresting people who who don't obey traffic laws or oppress pedestrians.Dimgba Igwe didn't have to die in such a way if roads were built with pedestrians in mind. Unless they want every Nigerian to start driving a car all the time. We know that when that happens, we may end up having too many cars on the road and too many fat people who no longer exercise.
Comments: