TimesView Every life lost on the streets is a tragedy, even more so if it was avoidable. Cops have tried out several methods to discipline pedestrians, with varying degrees of success at various places. But we, perhaps, have not looked at the most obvious medicine: a dose of self-discipline. KOLKATA: The death of a 58-year-old woman on Gariahat Road on Wednesday evening — she was crushed under the wheels of a bus after tripping while trying to negotiate the railing at the median divider — has yet again brought the focus on the perils of jaywalking. In fact, jaywalking kills most people on the roads in Kolkata. Accident statistics collated by Lalbazar has time and again identified jaywalking as the primary trigger for most accidents in the last few years. Be it crossing the road while speaking on a cellphone, walking on the road instead of the pavement, climbing over a railing at the median divider or trying to hop on to a bus in the middle of the road, jaywalking has resulted in a large number of fatal accidents in the city in the last few months. In Kolkata, 31% of accidental deaths involve pedestrians. A study of accidents in 2016 and 2017 by a central agency had revealed that dangerous behaviour by pedestrians led to 18% of accidents. Another 9% was because they weren’t paying attention.On Thursday, TOI visited four major intersections which are prone to accidents because of jaywalking and which have also witnessed fatalities in the recent past.At Deshapriya Park, where a 65-year-old pedestrian was run over three months ago, jaywalking seemed to be the norm. TOI spotted several men crossing the road amidst incoming traffic while speaking on their cellphones. Some dodged moving vehicles to get to the other side of the road, refusing to wait for the pedestrian signal to turn green. Moving east towards Gariahat, pedestrians were found walking along the side of the road instead of keeping to the pavement. “The entire pavement is lined with makeshift stalls. Where are we supposed to walk?” asked a middle-aged homemaker who was walking along the road.The scene was no different on Mayo Road where people coming from Behala and Kidderpore were seen getting off buses on one side of the road and running across and climbing over median dividers even as the traffic moved on. “We are used to crossing the road this way. Who has time to wait for pedestrian signals? asked Shambhu Jha, who runs a shop at Maidan Market.Pedestrians complained that the signals change too fast for people to cross the road with ease anyway. At Rajabazar, the pedestrian signal doesn’t even work. “At busy crossings, the cars come from several directions and we have little time to keep tabs on pedestrian signals. We end up just looking around and darting across the street,” said a private firm employee who works with an insurance firm in Esplanade.Bus drivers also stop away from designated stops, leaving passengers with little choice but to get on or off in the middle of the road. On Thursday, scores were waiting in the middle of Old Court House Street near Lalit Great Eastern Hotel and at Lenin Sarani crossing even though there are no bus stops there. People jumped on to moving buses as they slowed. Cops were busy keeping traffic moving but did nothing to prevent the buses from picking up passengers in this way.Prosecution for jaywalking invites a nominal penalty of anything between Rs 10 and Rs 50, depending on the implications of the offence. Cops said they were trying their best to prevent jaywalking at prominent stretches, but added that it was difficult to penalize every offender. “Given the number of pedestrians on the road, it is practically impossible to prosecute every jaywalker. People need to be aware and care about their own lives,” said an officer.

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