Drivers ignore crossing rules

Masterton drivers are breaking the law every minute of the day, endangering the lives of pedestrians and no one seems to be doing anything about it.
New rules for pedestrian crossings have come into force and include a rule that cars must remained stopped outside of a painted line crossing until pedestrians have crossed the entire roadway, on crossing that do not have median islands.
Wairarapa Times-Age reporters yesterday monitored drivers at the crossing on Chapel Street at the intersection with Jackson Street.
We spent half an hour watching the behaviour of drivers ? and also those using the crossing.
On each occasion that cars stopped, they drove off before walkers had time to clear the entire carriageway, seemingly in the belief that the old rules allowing drivers to continue their journey once the pedestrians reached the middle of the road still apply.
Not one, by two cars actually drove behind Leanne Ricou as she was crossing.
"They're shocking here, they don't stop," she said.
It became clear many people ? pedestrians and drivers ? have no idea of the new crossing rules.
One man said he didn't know the laws had changed. He thought when he was halfway across the road the cars behind him could legally drive on.
Under the new rules cars can drive on only when the pedestrian is halfway over the crossing if there is a raised traffic island.
It's not only at the Chapel Street crossing that lax drivers bend the rules.
Sandra Wilton, who used the crossing at the time of our survey, said the same thing happens at every pedestrian crossing in town.
During the half hour survey several drivers didn't stop properly to let pedestrians cross but simply throttled off and slowed down until the pedestrians were clear of their cars, and then accelerated away.
One man who regularly uses the crossing wanted to know why traffic police are hardly, if ever, seen enforcing pedestrian crossing rules.
He said the intersection of Chapel and Jackson Street is especially bad, not only because drivers pay no heed to the rules concerning pedestrians but also because the corner is a boy racers' paradise.
"They scoot round the corner far too fast making a hell of a racket and there is never a cop in sight."
"It is only a matter of time before someone is skittled here, perhaps killed."