On the mean streets of Russia’s capital, it is the loser who ventures out without a weapon. Once the armament of choice was a small Lada. These days, it’s likely to be a 3-ton Mercedes. Yet the dynamics of battle remain the same: The front bumper trumps the pedestrian, sending him somersaulting over the hood. So often do vehicles and pedestrians come into contact that a body at the side of the road covered with an overcoat barely draws a crowd. Last year, 34,506 people were killed in Russian road accidents and a quarter of a million injured. The toll has prompted a rare bout of self-reflection among some drivers and a national campaign to promote courtesy toward the foot-bound. Last week, Moscow traffic police and a group of newspapers began passing out windshield stickers bearing the zebra-crossing symbol and the words ‘‘I Let Pedestrians Pass.’’ ‘‘An attempt to cross a busy street in Moscow at an unlighted pedestrian crossing is a life-threatening experience for any pedestrian,’’ said Vyacheslav Lysakov, head of the motorists movement Freedom of Choice, one of several organisations promoting the initiative. “It is high time our drivers realise that pedestrians crossing streets are not crazy hares to be hunted down and run over, but our children, our wives, mothers, relatives and friends.’’ The campaign has elicited a fair amount of grumbling from Moscow drivers, some of whom argue that slowing down for pedestrians puts drivers at risk of being rear-ended. Police say the fines for ignoring crosswalks are so low that the “I Let Pedestrians Pass” windshield signs are unlikely to help. But pedestrians, said a traffic warrant officer, also share in the blame. Many cross mid-block, far from any designated crosswalks. “Naturally, that creates a dangerous situation,” he said. “It’s car against man, and you know who loses.” —LAT-WP
