Abu Dhabi: Every day, hundreds of jaywalkers are risking life and limb on Abu Dhabi roads during peak traffic hours. Last year 117 people died and 797 others were injured while crossing roads in non-designated spots. A sizeable number of those victims were from the capital.
Yet the chilling statistics seem to have little effect.
In just one hour on Monday, XPRESS photographed several people dodging cars and buses like skilled matadors, ignoring common sense and police warnings on jaywalking. Some of them are pictured here.
Many fined
It’s not that authorities show leniency to offenders. Nearly 40,000 people are fined Dh200 each in a year.
Thanks to the road safety initiatives of Abu Dhabi police, the number of pedestrian fatalities in the capital has also fallen a significant 31 per cent from 2012.
Of late, Abu Dhabi Municipality and Urban Planning Council have introduced a string of measures to improve the safety of road users and pedestrians. The latest among them are electronic signs near pedestrian tunnels on Hamdan Street, installed last month.
A large number of residents, however, continue to take chances.
“You are processing a lot of information while crossing a street. It’s not as simple as you think. You have to gauge not just the distance and speed of a vehicle, but also determine the driver’s reaction. A split second error in judgement could be fatal,” said a road safety expert.
Motorist Kannan. M. said he has had some close shaves. “Twice I nearly ran over people on my way to work. Luckily, I was alert enough to apply brakes on time, otherwise I would have been in trouble - and for no fault of mine,” said the Indian engineer.
Under the UAE law anyone who causes death in a road accident is liable to pay blood money (diya) to the victim. The standard blood money for death is Dh200,000. However last year, Abu Dhabi police announced that pedestrians who cross streets at undesignated spots will be held responsible in the event of an accident.
“If a person violates these rules and suffers injuries in an accident, neither the driver nor the insurance company will be responsible for this injury,” Abu Dhabi Police said in texts to mobile phones and on social networks.
PR executive Esam Shaikh says jaywalkers have no regard for safety as they put both themselves and other road-users at risk. Another Abu Dhabi resident, Briton Rob Smith said people crossing roads often have a herd-like mentality. “They would wait for the signal to turn green, but the moment they see someone darting across against the pedestrian light, others follow suit. They want to save time but in doing that they are exposing themselves to a great danger.”
Pedestrians like Ukrainian Maya Kroschev and Emirati Mohammad Al Hammadi, however, blamed the lack of subways and footbridges for pedestrian accidents. An Indian housewife who lives on Hamdan Street said she has to walk 15 minutes to reach the nearest subway.
Authorities are addressing these concerns. Nine new footbridges have been built at a cost of Dh35.2 million. Of these, seven have already opened (Airport Road near Mushrif Mall and outside Carrefour, Muroor Road near the bus station, Mussaffah Road at the Workers’ Village, near Dalma Mall, Abu Dhabi-Al Ain road at Baniyas and opposite Abu Dhabi University) while two more should be ready later month, on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai motorway at Bahia and Shahama.
A walking and cycling master plan was also recently unveiled by the Department of Transport Abu Dhabi that aims to overhaul the emirate’s road infrastructure and transform it into a safe and friendly place for pedestrians and cyclists.
Startling Statistics:
Fifty per cent of male and 35 per cent of female respondents in a 2013 survey on the Causes of Traffic Accidents among Pedestrians in Abu Dhabi said they crossed roads from non-designated pedestrian crossings. Among males, a staggering 65 per cent admitted using mobile phones while crossing the roads.
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