Wheels on the Zebra.

As a child I was always afraid of crossing roads. I have learnt now however, huge wide roads still petrify me. The Mumbai traffic does not make my task any easier. More so, as I am forced to cross on the main road rather than the zebra crossing.

The purpose of the black and white stripes on the road known as ‘zebra crossing’ is to ensure a little patch for the pedestrians to cross safely from one side of the road to another. However, these zebra crossings are hardly ever seen today as they are covered by the vehicles that wrongly halt on the zebra crossing itself at a signal rather than the stipulated line before the crossing. At times they even go to halt their vehicles much ahead of the zebra crossing. This traffic behavior leaves no proper place for pedestrians to cross the road safely and the pedestrians are then forced to make their way through the traffic right in the middle of the road, which is rather dangerous.

This flouting of traffic rules is overlooked by all. Even the traffic police ignores it. The government run BEST buses don’t hesitate to flout the rule as well.

On one hand we are trying to fight corruption, while we ourselves break a law each and every day. There are people out there fighting for the rights of the poor and the down trodden. What about the rights of the man walking on the road? Who are we to blame the government for being corrupt and selfish, when we are nothing but the same? Just sitting conveniently in a vehicle gives us the right to forget about the convenience of others on the road? Are our actions justified? No, they aren’t. Until and unless we as citizens do not make tiny changes in our way of life we are in no position to blame the government for the distraught state of our nation. Change is needed for a better future.

“ If you want to make this world a better place, look at yourself and make that change. “ –Michael Jackson.

S.V.Road, Santacruz (W).

Marol Maroshi Road, Andheri (E)