I do a fair amount of driving in and around the city and its obvious that
pedestrian behaviour is on the decline. More so in peak hour as workers head out
of their offices on their mobile phones. I see regular near misses and of course
it’s always the driver’s fault. Frankly, it’s time that pedestrians talking or texting
on a mobile phone whilst on a pedestrian crossing carried an offence and
received a fine. Drivers detected using a handheld mobile phone get a $362 fine
and lose five demerit points – caught while on a pedestrian crossing the fine
rises to $481. The same should also apply to pedestrians texting or talking on a
pedestrian crossing as its distractive and highly dangerous. Pedestrians
invariably hold the phone by the right hand, so it blocks the sight of oncoming
cars and trucks as they step off the kerb. I’m David Berthon

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