As a responsible resident of Sharjah, I have noticed that in the recent past the authorities have built a fence on road dividers. This was done to prevent pedestrians crossing Sharjah’s busy streets at undesignated spots and exposing themselves and motorists on the road to potential danger of accidents.
Despite all this, I regularly see people crossing the fenced road, including highways. They run across to the dividers, jump over the fence and run again to cross to the other side. Motorists have to keep an eye on them and more often than not I see them braking hard in order to save the life of a jaywalker.
A few days ago, while returning from Dubai to Sharjah, on Al Nahda Street, we approached an intersection with the Al Khan Street in our vehicle. Many car tyre shops are located here and it is a densely populated area. Incidentally, this was among the first roads to be fenced in 2014, which was also reported in a Gulf News report published in July, 2014.
Just before the above mentioned intersection I noticed that one portion of the fence was missing. People were indiscriminately using this opening as a road crossing.
The traffic was dense on our side, but the other side of the road was empty and vehicles were driving past at approximately 80kph. Some pedestrians were navigating their way through the traffic, jumping over the opening in the fence, waiting and subsequently running to cross the road. All this despite the fact that a pedestrian crossing was located 100 metres away.
In another incident, I noticed another jaywalker in the Al Shuwaihean area of Sharjah. On an empty road where cars were zooming past at high speed, two young boys ran to cross the road, jumped over the fence and ran again to the other side, narrowly missing the fast cars on the road. It was horrible to see and disappointing as the designated crossing was just 25 metres away!
I request pedestrians to use designated points for crossing the road, as life is more important than anything else. Secondly, I request the authorities in Sharjah to reconstruct the broken fencing area. This will be a deterrent for the jaywalkers.
While the authorities are regularly doing their jobs, It is our duty to observe the law. Many pedestrian crossings have been created in Sharjah over the past few years and many pedestrian bridges are planned in the near future. Further, jaywalking fines are also imposed to act as a deterrent for the members of public. As the authorities have taken so many concrete actions, it is our duty to cooperate with them and strive to keep Sharjah free from pedestrian-related accidents.
— The reader is a student based in Sharjah.
Be a community reporter. Send us your videos and pictures at readers@gulfnews.com
FACTBOX:
According to a Gulf News report published in May, 2016, jaywalking on any road (excluding small roads in communities) from undesignated spots is a crime punishable by the UAE Traffic Law with a fine of Dh200.
Gulf News reported in June 2012, that the Dubai Police advised pedestrians not to cross roads with speeds of more than 80 km/h because they could be held liable for any accidents.
