Dubai: The Palm residents are signing a petition calling on authorities to make pedestrian crossings safer after reports of motorists jumping red lights.
They are rallying to raise 1,000 signatures this week demanding more radars in front of Shoreline apartments and other areas.
Proper signage, regular traffic lights that change from amber to red to green (instead of blinking amber going to red when someone presses the stop button) and speed bumps approaching the signals are some of the other measures they are pressing for following the XPRESS cover story last week on pedestrian crossings becoming death traps due to callous motorists brazenly flouting traffic rules.
Samantha Watson who began the online petition on www.ipetitions.com last Thursday said: “I am a mother of a young kid and I often face problems crossing the street in front of my apartment because of reckless speeding drivers. I hope something is done to check them.”
Expectant mum Maria Lynne Scandizzo, who owns an apartment in the area, said the unsafe pedestrian crossing is one of the main reasons they did not want to live there anymore.
“I have a one-year-old child and I am pregnant with the second, this is just not a safe place to risk crossing multiple times a day,” she said.
“Last week a car almost knocked my 16-month-old off her stroller when she and her nanny were crossing the street. I have contacted Nakheel several times, besides signing this petition,” said housewife and mother of one, Irene Garcia, 31, from Spain.
“I pass the road on a regular basis with my child. Once his tricycle was hit when I was carrying it. Luckily he wasn’t in it. The driver just continued. It’s only a matter of time before someone is seriously hurt. Unfortunately, only then will something be done,” wrote fellow-petitioner Dave on the petition’s website that’s already acquired hundreds of signatures.
Nakheel comment
A spokesperson from Nakheel told XPRESS: “The traffic management systems on Palm Jumeirah fully comply with the requirements and standards set by Dubai Police and the RTA, who are the only authorities who can instruct changes to the existing system.
“As we have previously pointed out, we are aware of this challenge and are liaising with auth-orities to rectify the situation. We continue to encourage motorists to observe traffic laws at all times for their own safety and the safety of others.”
