Active walkman sign is a pilot project that is spearheaded by Amotech Investments, and was launched by the company together with Department of Road Safety and Transport and Gaborone City Council in Bontleng last week. Active walkman sign, is a hazard light sign that is mounted along zebra crossings to amplify the signs on the road and to alert drivers of pedestrians while they are still far from the crossing. Kenneth Mtyutu, a road safety education officer in the company said they have considered mounting the hazard light sign after a lot of motorists raised concerns that they could not see zebra crossing signs well in time, and that it is difficult to see the marks on the road. "So we wanted to have a hazard light that would warn the driver that there is something happening ahead and should therefore slow down," he said.
He said although the sign may appear like a robot, it is only a hazard light that warns drivers of pedestrians or any moving object that would be crossing the road at that time. "It could be a pedestrian, cyclists, dogs, and any other moving object," he said. Mtyutu said that in the long run they would want to mount active walkman signs along zebra crossings in all towns and cities around the country to help in the fight against road accidents should the council approve their project.
