Dubai: A few days ago, my brother was dropping me to the school where I play basketball, when we came across a peril to all drivers in the Jumeirah Village Circle (JVC), Dubai.
As we were coming up on a straight road, it was almost impossible to see the traffic on the perpendicular road, because the corners of the site hoarding, erected around the area of construction, were so sharp. We had to inch forward, as we were unsure of any emerging vehicles driving past us.
When these hoardings are next to a crossroad, they should have rounded edges so that the motorist can see oncoming traffic before entering the junction.
This incident occurred on one of the slip roads just before exiting the community.
Such small unpredicted blunders can lead to grave mishaps. I have seen several accidents in the past two years that I’ve lived here. At one such time, my brother’s car was hit by a speeding taxi.
As a developing community, there are multiple construction sites in JVC, which give way for such incidents to take place. The developers need to consider the safety of vehicles and pedestrians.
Additionally, many of the road dividers have overgrown bushes that are neglected for months and as they grow taller closer to the junctions, it is impossible to see vehicles coming down the road, until after one is halfway across the junction.
Aparna Praveen, a teacher based in the area, said: “Lots of construction sites actually hinder the sight of the full road. It is an urgent requirement for all traffic lights to operate soon so that everyone follows the traffic rules strictly to avoid any accidents.”
I humbly appeal to the concerned authorities that they improve these designs to make certain that human lives don’t have to be written off just because developers are not thoughtful about the communities they serve.
— The reader is a student based in Dubai.
Be a community reporter. Tell us what is happening in your community. Send us your videos and pictures at readers@gulfnews.com
The reader’s concerns were raised with the management of Nakheel. They immediately investigated the issue and responded.
They stated: “Nakheel continues to enhance its communities with road schemes that improve safety and traffic flow. We are currently installing traffic signals at major junctions at Jumeirah Village Circle as part of our ongoing road enhancements there. The process should be completed in March this year. Construction site hoardings are an essential safety barrier between the site and the public. The hoardings at JVC are installed within developers’ allocated boundaries.”
