UAE | Traffic and Transport
Calls for pedestrian safety 'were ignored'
Traffic came to a standstill on the busy Khalid Bin Sultan Street after a speeding motorist killed three pedestrians on Thursday night.
- By Aftab Kazmi, Bureau Chief
- Published: 00:00 June 16, 2007
Al Ain: Traffic came to a standstill on the busy Khalid Bin Sultan Street after a speeding motorist killed three pedestrians on Thursday night.
"I was coming from the Hilton Hotel when I spotted a rashly driven 4WD in the rear view mirror," said a witness who did not wish to be named.
As he was going through an underpass near the Etisalat building, the 4WD overtook him and mowed down the pedestrians.
"It was a horrible scene in front of me. The bodies were scattered all over the road," he said. "The three were lying motionless. I believe they died on the spot," he said.
A Filipina said she was waiting for some friends for the mass when the accident happened. "They too were coming to attend the mass," she said. The police have taken the 4WD driver into custody.
Pastor Father Mathew Fernandes of the St Mary's Church, said he saw the accident. "It was a big shock of my life," he said, adding that three people lost their lives due to the reckless driving.
The 4WD, driven by an Emirati, stopped soon after hitting the pedestrians and the driver jumped out of the car to stop the traffic, he said. Many accidents have occurred at this spot and several pedestrians have either lost their lives or limbs, he added.
Request
"We had requested the municipally in the past to make an overhead bridge or a pedestrian underpass," Father Mathew said, adding that no action has so far been taken.
He said the authorities should pay immediate attention to the request to avoid more fatalities.
Share this article
More from UAE Traffic and Transport
More from UAE
Popular in UAE
-
Have your say
Living in untidy homes
Do you think that people who live in untidy homes have bad character?
Latest news
- Emirati students in US set to rise
- No friends of mother Earth
- Tussle on for tertiary students
- Faded parking lines pose a problem
- UAE to announce H1N1 vaccination campaign
- Focus on best methods of crime investigation
- Benefits of pill-sized camera displayed
- Prosecutions need to adopt new technologies
- Big decline in robberies in Dubai
- Ministry to shut down typing centres
- Car stickers to identify new drivers on road
- So what will it take to float Gulf News' boat?
- Desalination faces 'severe' challenges
- Arab world's future is with solar energy
- Compulsory fitness test for new drivers
Community Reports
-
Faded parking lines pose a problem
Motorists could be fined for parking incorrectly even though they can hardly see the boundaries in the designated areas
-
School buses block residential parking
Commercial vehicles taking up free parking facilities in Al Wuheida, inconveniencing residents in surrounding villas
-
Community report: Doing their bit for poor children
A group of students takes concrete action to raise funds for Dubai Cares
-
Surprising truth of 'abandoned cars'
An Abu Dhabi resident believes that some mechanics are using parking spaces as rent-free workshops
