Pedestrians are risking life and limb to cross a major highway linking Dubai and Sharjah, an ordeal which can take half an hour, residents told XPRESS.
Jaywalkers use a gap in a divider on Al Ittihad road meant for police units and ambulances because there is no dedicated pedestrian crossing, according to people living and working in the area.
There is an accident on the road almost every month, nearby shopkeepers said.
The opening is opposite Ansar Mall and many residents, including people on bicycles, cross over the six traffic lanes several times a day.
A worker who collects paper and cardboard trash for a living said he makes the dangerous trip twice daily.
"It's actually easier to cross over during rush hour because the cars are bumper to bumper. But when the traffic is lighter, the cars speed past you and it's tough to make it through," said Siraj Ahmad, a Pakistani expatriate.
He added he spends 20 minutes sometimes waiting for a relatively safe chance to pass.
A Sri Lankan security guard who lives on the Al Taawun side of the road and works in the opposite Al Nahda part resorts to the gap "in cases of emergency".
Hemantha Javyaweera said he often needs to get to the building he guards on short notice but waiting for a taxi makes little sense to him since his workplace is a short distance away.
A visibly upset Iranian woman, Rahimiyon Yafa, said: "The authorities should make a bridge or underpass for pedestrians. A lot of people use this road to visit the other side for personal business, including myself."
City Food supermarket, located on the road, often receives customers arriving by foot from the other side of the road, an employee said.
"I see more than a hundred pedestrians cross over in a day. One person was hit by a car a month ago," said Shah Al Hamed.
An Ansar Mall security guard from Bangladesh, Mohammad Zahir, said he has also heard of a few accidents involving cars and jaywalkers.
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Your comments
I think the lack of pedestrian accommodation is appalling, especially as low paid worker-immigration is insisted upon. How can they all afford cars? A large work force is generated this way and businesses must only pay for transportation. It is appalling. As someone that has access to a car, but prefers walking, I hate it. Too many free-ways, not enough pavements, no pedestrian rights, drivers do not own the arterial routes of a city. The lack of pavements and pedestrian access do not help this.
Benjamin, UAE
Posted: July 11, 2007, 18:54
