The renewed crackdown on pedestrians who deliberately avoid using footbridges is long overdue.
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Too many Kenyans have lost their lives crossing busy roads at points where safe pedestrian crossings have been provided.
The NTSA and police deserve commendation for enforcing a rule that has for years been routinely ignored.
But enforcement must be even-handed.
It is difficult to understand why pedestrians should bear the full force of the law while matatus and boda boda riders continue to flout traffic regulations with alarming impunity.
Every day, matatus stop at undesignated points, pick up and drop passengers dangerously, overlap, ignore traffic lights and engage in reckless driving.
Boda boda riders routinely weave through traffic, ride against the flow, use pavements and disregard basic safety regulations.
These are not harmless offences. They put passengers, motorists and pedestrians at risk and contribute significantly to road deaths and injuries.
The authorities must therefore sustain the current momentum and extend it to all road users. Law enforcement cannot be selective, targeting those who are easiest to apprehend while more serious offenders operate with impunity.
Pedestrians must obey the law, but so must drivers, riders and public transport operators.
The test of a serious traffic enforcement body is not how many pedestrians it arrests, but whether it makes our roads safer for everyone.
Let's have one law, one standard and no sacred cows.
Quote of the Day: “When there is a lack of honor in government, the morals of the whole people are poisoned.” —American politician and 31st US President Herbert Hoover was born on August 10, 1874
