This from the local newpaper, http://www.theherald.co.za I dont know if this has been posted yet, but if not take a look, this is way out of control. THE reckless behaviour of taxi drivers was slammed by the vice-chancellor of Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University (NMMU) yesterday after a student was run down at a pedestrian crossing near the main campus. Jason Kruger, 20, was admitted to the intensive care unit at Greenacres Hospital in Port Elizabeth after he was knocked off his bicycle on Tuesday afternoon. Kruger, of Sedgefield, is being treated for a fractured skull, broken collar bone, bleeding on the brain, and scrapes and bruises. A 38-year-old man will appear in the magistrate?s court today after he was arrested for drunken and reckless driving. In a strongly worded statement yesterday, NMMU vice-chancellor Prof Derrick Swartz said: ?We are extremely dismayed at this latest incident (in which) an innocent student was run down by a taxi driver and is now seriously injured in hospital. ?We condemn in the strongest terms the reckless driving of some taxis into our campus and our city, and their flagrant disregard for pedestrians, other road users and basic rules of the road. ?We urgently call on the police and traffic department to use powers given to them by law to enforce rules of good road conduct and police the entrance into the university during peak times.? Swartz said the university would be appealing to traffic police to patrol the university and its immediate surrounds during the peak hours. NMMU senior communication manager Debbie Derry said Kruger was using the crossing at the intersection of Admiralty and University Way on his bicycle when he was hit by the taxi and dragged some 30 metres. ?He was treated on the scene before being taken to Greenacres Hospital,? added Derry. Witness Christelle Feyt said that even as Kruger was being stabilised, a taxi stormed past cars backed up at the accident scene, almost hitting the victim and those assisting him. ?NMMU is appalled by the accident, especially since it has been fighting for better policing of taxis in the area for close to a decade,? said Derry. The latest accident happened just three days after the eighth anniversary of the death of student Vanessa Baldwin. She died after her motorcycle collided with a taxi in University Way on February 21, 2001. The accident shocked Port Elizabeth after Vanessa?s father, Paul, was stopped for speeding while rushing to St George?s Hospital to be at his daughter?s bedside. When he tried to protest, he was arrested and Vanessa died without him having an opportunity to see her. Kruger?s mother, Carrie, said the family was still in shock. ?I drove from Sedgefield and arrived here on Tuesday night. He was still in a lot of pain as doctors didn?t give him any drugs because they wanted to keep him conscious. ?The doctors said it would take about eight weeks for him to recover completely. ?We thank God he was wearing a helmet, otherwise the doctor said the injuries could have been worse.? She had seen the road three weeks ago and had asked her son to be careful when cycling on it. ?Back then, we were just talking and he was excited about his first year studying languages. Now he won?t be able to attend any of his classes for weeks.? The university?s director of marketing and corporate relations, Pieter Swart, said they had been trying to secure land from the municipality for a taxi rank so that there could be better control. ?We lost Vanessa Baldwin eight years ago,? said Swart. ?We do not want to lose others.? Municipal spokesman Kupido Baron said the municipality had regularly deployed traffic officers near the university. ?Unfortunately, taxi drivers are difficult for us to police. ?Also, Admiralty Way is too short to add speed humps, as there are robots in the area.? He said the municipality planned to build a taxi rank next to the boom entry gate at the university?s north campus. jpdub2009-02-26 03:51:50
