(MENAFN- Gulf Times) With fences being built along the median on several streets in Doha, many commuters have urged the authorities concerned to expedite the construction of pedestrian bridges on key roads.
While welcoming the Public Works Authority (Ashghal)'s plans to build some 160 pedestrian bridges in different parts of the country, they say the need for such facilities is even greater now as roads are widened and traffic increases.
Recently, the median along stretches of C-Ring Road, among others, has been fenced off following road widening work. This has forced people, including pedestrians as well as motorists who park their vehicles on one side of the road before walking down to a building on the other side, to go all the way to the nearest signal to cross the road.
Data for road traffic accidents released by the Traffic Department every year mention a number of pedestrian fatalities. Many of the accidents occur while the victims are crossing major roads, especially in the vicinity of some government institutions.
Commuters say they are aware of the dangers of crossing a busy road but are compelled to do so in the absence of a pedestrian underpass or bridge. Now that fences are in place at several locations, they cannot cross the road at all unless they walk to the nearest traffic signals, some of which could be more than 1km apart.
A pedestrian bridge built at a convenient location, they point out, will allow them to cross the road safely.
For instance, owing to construction activities that took place recently along the service road on one side of C-Ring Road, visitors to some offices in the Najma area were seen parking their vehicles on the opposite side (Al Hilal) - due to better parking facilities there € before crossing the road to reach their destination.
There has been a particularly vocal demand for pedestrian bridges along Salwa Road, which has high-speed traffic and the only safe options for crossing are the signals at interchanges.
While calling for the construction of covered pedestrian bridges in different parts of the city, like the one that has come up near Al Attiyah Souq in the Industrial Area, residents have specifically requested for such bridges along key stretches of C-Ring and D-Ring roads, Airport Road and Industrial Area Road.
Similar demands have also come in for the Rayyan Road side of Hamad General Hospital, where pedestrian movement is higher than some other places in the neighbourhood.
"Wherever there is a government office located along a major road, or even banks and restaurants, there would always be a number of people who walk down to access such places," said a long-time Doha resident.
Ashghal has also announced a plan to build a 90m-long pedestrian plaza in front of buildings housing offices of Qatar Foundation on the Gharafa-Bani Hajer-Dukhan highway.
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