Mark Beckord, Staff Reporter

Children waiting to cross the busy intersection of East and East Queen streets in downtown Kingston on Monday. These students waited in the roadway for the traffic to stop, instead of on the sidewalk. - Norman Grindley Deputy Chief Photographer

The death of four-year-old Kadian Montgomery on Sunday afternoon has raised several questions about the role motorists play in the protection of children.

Young Kadian was run over when the driver of a Toyota Lite Ace van lost control of the vehicle, which crashed into an embankment along Mannings Hill Road, St Andrew. Her mother had just walked her across the street after leaving church.

The driver, 19-year-old Travis Smith of Mannings Hill district, has been charged with causing death by dangerous driving.

The Gleaner took to the streets on Monday, just after schools were dismissed, to see how children fared in the afternoons.

On Duke Street, downtown Kingston, the pedestrian crossing in front of the St Joseph's Infant School, which also serves St George's Girls and Infant School and St Aloysius Primary, was the station of traffic warden Joyce Thomas.

Thomas takes up her position at the crossing in the afternoons between 1:00 p.m. and 2:30 p.m to assist the children in making their way across the busy thoroughfare.

She has been in the job for nine years and has several complaints about the behaviour of children, parents and motorists who she has to control on a daily basis.

"Some children use it, some children just run across, teacher, parents and children. Most time me just stand up yah a do nuttin."

Parents don't listen

The conversation was broken, though, as Thomas blew her whistle and raised her blue and white wooden 'STOP CHILDREN CROSSING' sign to assist a group of children across, some licking their fingers from their afternoon snacks.

"Them suppose to group up, but it's hard to get them to group up because the parents don't listen and they don't listen. See there!" she said, as several children dashed across the street several metres below the pedestrian crossing.

Thomas also blamed motorists for failing to obey instructions and said drivers of sport utility vehicles are among the most uncooperative.

"When you signal them to stop they don't. They have their cars tint up and the windows wind up, and they on the cellphone. They not listening and they don't want to stop."

Janet Peters, information officer at the National Road Safety Unit in the Ministry of Transport and Works, urged motorists to be more mindful when they are on the roads and to look out for children

"Most people are familiar with an area and they know that a school is located there so they should approach with caution," she said.

mark.beckford@gleanerjm.com