We have received complaints from various motorists, pedestrians, students, and concerned parents at our editorial desk regarding several situations with crosswalks that are not sufficiently visible or not visible at all in the Oranjestad area.
Reporter Leo Geerman went to take a look and found a situation of lack of maintenance with crosswalks, including on Caya Ernesto Petronia in front of the University of Aruba. Similar situations were observed on De La Sallestraat and Lorentzstraat, where the crosswalks were nearly invisible or not visible at all.
An appeal is made to the Department of Infrastructure and Planning to apply fresh paint and provide the necessary maintenance to the mentioned crosswalks to make them visible for motorists, pedestrians, and students.
During the reporter’s tour in Wilheminastraat, another situation was noted with two crosswalk signs, while the crosswalk itself did not exist.
Speaking of crosswalks, another topic that also needs attention is the Crosswalk Law. The rule states that when a motorist approaches a crosswalk and a pedestrian must cross, the rule dictates that the pedestrian must be allowed to cross completely until reaching the other side of the road. The same rule applies to the motorist approaching the crosswalk.
Today, in 2024, pedestrians often have to wait for 2 to 3 minutes for a car to stop, while pedestrians have every legal right to cross. It should be mentioned that motorists hardly allow pedestrians to cross and reach the other side of the road completely before the driver starts moving again.
By law, this should not happen since the pedestrian must be allowed to cross completely to the other side of the road. Let’s fulfill our duty to give pedestrians their right to cross the road safely.
