NTSA continues to arrest non-compliant pedestrians for not using footbridges

The National Transport and Safety Authority (NTSA) together with law enforcement officers waited and arrested pedestrians at Transami in Nairobi's Pipeline area in what they say is obstructing traffic and endangering other road users.

"Joint pedestrian enforcement currently underway at Pipeline Transami footbridge targeting pedestrians who fail to use the footbridge and obstructing free flow of traffic. The offenders are expected to be arraigned in court this morning," NTSA said.

Several pedestrians were escorted into waiting police vans even as the regulator moves to combat the escalating dangerous crossing on major roads in the city.

NTSA warns that such arrests will continue until every pedestrian complies with the set traffic rules and regulations.

"The Authority urges pedestrians to use designated footbridges /crossings at all times as crossing in undesignated areas not only endangers their lives but puts also other road users at risk and disrupts traffic," NTSA further said.

The Transami arrests come in the wake of increased enforcement on major roads in Nairobi, where pedestrians choose to run across the road instead of using designated footbridges and crossings.

Previously, NTSA and traffic police arrested pedestrians on Mombasa Road at the GM footbridge, and Alsops on Thika Road.

There have been concerns of pedestrians avoiding footbridges and designated crossings for shortcuts on the major roads, endangering themselves and other road users.

For instance, at Ngara, pedestrians now carelessly cross the busy Thika Superhighway near Fig Tree market, with a footbridge just 100 metres ahead. It is even worse that they cross at blind spots where many motorists are likely not to see them.

The trend is the same at Pangani and even other footbridges on the busy Thika Superhighway.