Residents face a serious difficulty on the stretch of Damascus Street, between Doha and Amman Street intersections in Dubai. This street has become a preferred route for vehicular traffic to and from Sharjah.
With the traffic having increased manifold and a lack of pedestrian crossings, residents on either side of the road have to walk for at least half a kilometre to reach a traffic light in order to cross the road and reach bus stops or to pray at the only mosque located midway on this street. This tempts many to frequently jaywalk to cross the road to catch a bus or attend prayers (as seen in photograph).
Many pedestrians put their lives at risk while jaywalking. This stretch of road has already seen many fatalities over the past few years where speeding cars have hit jaywalkers.
For students like me, crossing the road to catch the bus to the city is a frequent need. The array of banks located across the street also brings in business visitors who park on the opposite side and walk over.
Even the presence of plainclothes police inspectors who stop jaywalkers and issue fines has not prevented this problem. It is high time that the authorities construct a pedestrian bridge located strategically in the middle of this stretch of street. Such a bridge will be of great help to the residents.
The reader is a resident of Dubai.
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