Advertisement

Why pedestrians could soon be slapped with a $200 fine


Pedestrians who are caught not paying attention while crossing the road could be slapped with a $200 fine in a bid to curb the number of deaths and injuries on Australian roads.

The Pedestrian Council of Australia is calling for a host of new changes that they believe will better protect pedestrians and create an improved relationship with motorists.

If successful, the penalties could extend to people using their mobile phones while crossing the road, even at a green light.

“We know pedestrians are behaving outrageously with mobile phones,” council chairman Harold Scruby told the Herald Sun.

The PCA lobby group is calling for inattentive pedestrians to be slapped with a $200 fine. Image: Getty
The PCA lobby group is calling for inattentive pedestrians to be slapped with a $200 fine. Image: Getty

“We’ve been calling for a new penalty — ‘cross road while distracted’. This means you can even be crossing with the green (light) and still get booked.”

In addition to lowering the speed limits in CBD’s to 30km/h, Mr Scruby called for an overhaul to the pedestrian crossing system.

He wants to see scramble crossing intersections that allow pedestrians to walk diagonally, a 45-second crossing time at green pedestrian lights and countdown timers, so people know how much time they have before the lights change.

The campaign follows a theme trotted out over the past few years, the message delivered with more force in each reprise.

In addition to lowering the speed limits in CBD’s to 30km/h, the lobby group called for an overhaul to the pedestrian crossing system. Image: Getty
In addition to lowering the speed limits in CBD’s to 30km/h, the lobby group called for an overhaul to the pedestrian crossing system. Image: Getty

Last year, the lobby group rolled out a confronting commercial intended to shock pedestrians into looking up front their smart phones.

The hard-hitting ad from the Pedestrian Council of Australia shows a young woman walking down the footpath of a suburban street.

Engrossed in her phone and wearing headphones, the woman makes the fatal mistake of stepping out on to the street without looking both ways.

A car strikes her, the impact playing out in full view while the tune she was playing is cut short along with her life.