Sharjah: I was appalled to observe gross traffic violations during the early morning rush hour in Al Nahda area, in Sharjah. Generally the road opposite the mall in the vicinity, which eventually joins Al Ittihad Road going towards Dubai, is congested in the morning hours as residents head to work or school.
Cutting the queue and blocking the emergency lanes are a common practice. But, what I have observed over time is beyond compare.
Motorists use very dangerous methods of surpassing the long traffic lines. They come to the end of a free right junction and reverse the vehicle until they align themselves to the main road and then cut the queue to join the main traffic flow.
Another method, and a more dangerous one, is to drive through a one-way u-turn in the wrong direction, so as to get into the service lane faster (as seen in photograph).
These dangerous maneuvers are not only illegal, but can harm unsuspecting pedestrians and other motorists.
Unless there is the physical presence of an authoritative figure, such as a police officer, these unscrupulous drivers will never change. They should be aware that everyone is in a rush and it is unfair that they use illegal means to jump the queue.
I urge the traffic department to deploy more personnel to monitor such errant drivers and slap hefty fines, including impounding of the offender’s vehicle and black points.
The reader is a travel supervisor based in Sharjah.
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