Police catch more jaywalkers

ON Orchard Road, near Paragon Shopping Centre, a woman hurried across the road with a stroller while cars sped past.
Further down the road, near Centrepoint, a man darted across the road to catch a bus which had just pulled into the bus-bay.

Jaywalking appears to be prevalent here despite it being a crime which can see offenders jailed. The Straits Times spotted a total of about 160 people jaywalking over a 2 1/2 hours yesterday.

The police are also catching more of them. In the first half of the year, 3,821 people were caught for jaywalking, up from 2,070 in the same period last year.

One favourite jaywalking spot was the stretch of Orchard Road separating the construction site near Somerset MRT station and Orchard Emerald.

While there were two traffic lights in close proximity, some 15 people crossed the road between the traffic lights during a 30-minute interval.

Within an hour, at least 80 people jaywalked across Grange Road which separates Orchard Building and Cineleisure.

Most of them were teenagers or looked to be in their 20s. Some stood on the divider, while cars drove by.

Mr Jimmy Chan, a 22-year-old operator, said it was 'not so convenient' to walk to the traffic light.

Convenience was also the reason cited by marketing executive Joseph Suriya, 28. He said he knew how to keep safe by gauging the traffic.