A tweet from the Government of Alberta's transportation account is angering online users who say the public service announcement it paints pedestrians in a bad light. TWITTER
A tweet from the Government of Alberta’s transportation account that caused a wave of anger online from people who say the public service announcement is nothing more than “pedestrian shaming”, has been deleted.
The tweet, posted Monday, reads: “Pls pay attention when crossing the street – remove headphones & put away cellphones or other electronic devices #abroads“.
Twitter users have lambasted the ad saying that it depicts pedestrians “as confused crippled people & distracted drunks.”
.@ABTransComm this is just awful. You depict pedestrians as confused crippled people, & distracted drunks? Driver gives grinning thumbs up?
Users also pointed out that in the ad, the driver is in the wrong.
@ABTransComm Why didn't the driver yield to the pedestrian in the crosswalk, as require by law?
Compare @ABTransComm's depiction of pedestrians with auto industry's 1920s pedestrian-shaming "jaywalking" campaign. Fascinating. #abroads
The tweet was originally posted Monday afternoon but by 10 a.m. Tuesday morning following the backlash, it had been removed.
