Jaywalking policemen

The number of reports and editorials over the years we have published about jaywalking, especially on the Kazi Nazrul Islam Avenue, is staggering. In 2015, we wrote about a drive by the authorities to stop this practice of crossing the road through busy traffic instead of taking the over-bridges. Our report then shows that despite the presence of executive magistrates and officials of the Dhaka Metropolitan Police, people were blatantly ignoring the law and their safety at the Bangla Motor intersection. This was despite the fines and other punishment meted out to offenders a few hours earlier. Again, in February 2017, the police started a drive to stop jaywalking near the capital's Kakoli intersection, where mobile courts were set up and around 86 pedestrians were fined.

Yesterday, a photo published by this newspaper, unsurprisingly, showed pedestrians hopping wire fences to cross the busy road near Karwan Bazar. What is surprising is that the photo also showed several members of the police doing the same. The barbed-wire fences were installed only about a week ago because of the frequent accidents caused by jaywalkers getting hit by vehicles recently.

Our refusal to use the foot over-bridges -- essentially opening up ourselves and others on the road to the possibility of an accident to save a few minutes of our time -- is shameless behaviour. It is all the more abhorrent when those indulging in the same practice are the police. We expect our police to lead by example: they must be practitioners of the law they are supposed to uphold. It was their duty to deter the practice then and there, not be an example of flouting concerns of safety.

Penalties have not worked, and the picture now shows policemen, parents with their children, and physically challenged people who would rather risk their lives than take an over-bridge. When will we learn?