A project simply dumb

"Some pedestrian lanes in two Quezon City barangays are confusing and thus hazardous."

Quezon City residents are complaining about the installation of zigzag pedestrian lanes or crosswalks as part of the local government unit’s Green Open Reclaimed Access (GORA) project.

Constituents of Barangay Laging Handa and Barangay South Triangle where some of those ill-designed lanes have popped up, decry the lack of consultation with them before such a project was implemented. 

They say they are bewildered by the unusual crosswalk instead of the straight path, indicating that the rationale of such concept was not properly or satisfactorily explained to the taxpayers.

“Do they expect senior citizens and small kids, or anyone for that matter, playfully cross the streets zigzagging like drunks?” Eljay Calonge said.

We are all for Quezon City Mayor Joy Belmonte’s efforts to promote sustainable development, interconnectivity and reduced air pollution. We support her vision of making the City “walkable and bikeable.”

However, whoever in the LGU came up with such a novel idea of engineering must have a valid justification for it.

I say valid justification at least, as I have a reservation saying that he or she might have a real good reason for coming up with a zigzag idea.

We must not confuse this with Australia’s road signs showing zigzag line markings leading to a pedestrian crosswalk.  They tell motorists to take caution or slow down as they approach a pedestrian lane.

The successive zigzag lines which the Aussies call “zebra crossings” are found in select locations or blind spots on a curve or downhill part of the street.

Until the residents of the two barangays get an enlightening explanation for the self-styled zigzag pedestrian crossings, we will simply consider them stupid. Those who approved its public funding are stupid, as well. It is simply hazardous for pedestrians, as well as motorists, who may not immediately recognize such signage.

According to the Department of Public Works and Highways (DPWH), the zigzagged pedestrian lane design does not meet the International Standards on

Highway Traffic Code. So if those in Mayor Belmonte’s office and the Department of Budget Management (DBM) wish to delve in abstract painting, they should realize that the streets of Quezon City are not the ideal place for it.

These hippies must stop smoking whatever it is they’re smoking that makes them “high.”

We sought Secretary Wendel Avisado’s explanation for such a waste of public funds on somebody’s whims but the DBM head was not available as of this writing.