I stay in a residential neighbourhood in the Oud Metha area of Dubai, where many motorists drive very fast on narrow roads and have no regard for pedestrians who may be crossing.
Every morning and afternoon, school buses make several stops here to drop off and pick up children. Even when the stop sign is out, motorists still try to overtake the bus. When I abide by rules and wait, the drivers behind me keep honking!
For instance, recently I was at a T-junction crossing opposite a restaurant in the area. Here, a school bus had stopped at the intersection. The driver of a four wheel drive behind me kept honking, and gave me a dirty look while overtaking. If he was just a few seconds late, he would have definitely run over a child crossing the road.
I have a few suggestions, which include creating a designated parking area that is located either centrally or as a slot on the main road, instead of at intersections. This is so that buses don’t have to make that many stops.
Drivers should be clearly instructed on the permissible manner of dropping and picking up children. Authorities should issue fines for drivers that overtake school buses on narrow roads, and should make more pedestrian crossings and one-way streets in residential areas.
I hope that this issue is solved by the next school term.
The reader is a freelance research analyst based in Dubai.
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