Dear Editor,

It is indeed unfortunate what has happened to the wheelchair-bound man who died recently. The need for the rehabilitation of roadways and utility poles has presented itself again.

Much of our infrastructure does not accommodate the disabled or extremely young. For example, many sidewalks do not have wheelchair access. I have seen buses and cars drive dangerously close to such people using the roadways, forcing them to stop. Also, there are bridges over gullies with wide railings or open drains enough for children to fall through.

Importantly, following concerns raised about light posts being in the middle of sidewalks impeding the movement of the disabled along them, I thought it fit to highlight other concerns in the vicinity, specifically along Hope Road. That long stretch of roadway is poorly lit and is wanting for additional pedestrian crossings. At a particular time of day you can see young children, having been released from school, making desperate attempts at crossing the busy thoroughfare. Because of the nature of the road, vehicles are less likely to give way to crossing pedestrians. Even if vehicles going in one direction give passage, there are those going in the other direction to contend with. What you see is a set of children, often holding hands, spilling into the streets in an effort to get across to the other side. You can also observe adults running into the open road trying to make use of what they have calculated as a chance. Some of us as adults, usually considerably more careful and capable of judging the distance of oncoming vehicles, have had close calls. Our children may not be as fortunate.

Something has to be done about the road safety issues being highlighted after tragedies. Encouraging pedestrian compliance is futile if the infrastructure does not allow for proper road usage.

Yohan Lee

St Andrew

yohan.s.r.lee@live.com