Cape Town road 'is diabolical'
2007-03-08 12:58
Cape Town - A man clothed in a lion suit crossed Cape Town's busy Buitengracht road in peak hour traffic at 17:00 on Wednesday, in a bid to heighten pedestrian awareness following the deaths of two British tourists on the same spot last month.
News24 was there and captured exclusive footage of the event. Click here for the broadband version and here for the narrowband/dial-up version.
Inok Zwane invited the media to witness his campaign. "The objective is to make pedestrians aware of the danger of not crossing at the traffic lights," he told News24.
While Zwane acknowledged that the authorities need to do their part, he emphasised personal responsibility. "Don't just blame the motorists that are reckless and speeding. Let's do our bit as pedestrians."
He chose the lion get-up because he "believe(s) in the strength of the lion".
Zwane lectured pedestrians as he crossed different points at the intersection. "You are cutting your life short," he said, carrying a poster that urged pedestrians to "obey traffic rules and lengthen your life".
A lethal crossing
The dual-carriage way that intersects with Coen Steytler Avenue near Cape Town's V&A Waterfront and the city's Convention Centre (CTICC) is notoriously impossible for pedestrians to cross, without resorting to jay-walking.
The tourists' deaths motivated Zwane to launch his appeal to the public.
"I partly witnessed that accident," explains Zwane. He crossed a few minutes before the accident happened and got to his apartment nearby. A few minutes later he heard a loud noise and looked out the window to see two people lying in the road.
Patrick and Jean McQuillen of High Hurstwood, East Sussex, were hit by a car while walking back to their guesthouse in Tamboerskloof. Their rental car had broken down.
They were struck about 100m from the entrance to the V&A Waterfront at about 19:15 on February 16.
Both had massive blunt trauma injuries and were declared dead on the scene.
'A complete joke'
Zwane has drawn up a comprehensive map and list of all pedestrian lights and buttons that are out of order, as well places where there should be a pedestrian crossing.
The worst point is crossing at the end of Lower Buitengracht road, near the CTICC. "There are two problems here," says Zwane. "Incoming traffic from the N2 and traffic from Coen Steytler Avenue making a left turn. Plus the light is green for a very short time."
Alison Beckett, who works nearby at the Spearhead building on the Foreshore told News24 that the crossing is a "complete joke".
"I cross here every day," she says. "The green pedestrian light goes for about 5 seconds and at the same time cars try to turn into the road."
Beckett points out that while she knows about it as a Capetonian, many of the people crossing are visitors walking either from the Convention Centre or hotels nearby - and would be unaware of the danger.
"There's a small sign that says give way to pedestrians but seriously, I never see it," she says.
Zwane pointed out a man repeatedly trying to cross the road while the pedestrian light was green, eventually running across.
The man, also a British tourist residing at the Southern Sun hotel, later told News 24 that crossing the road was "absolutely diabolical".