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
  • Gulf News

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.

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