Abu Dhabi: The number of pedestrian deaths caused by road accidents in Abu Dhabi has gone down by nearly a third during the first eight months of this year, Abu Dhabi Police said yesterday.

The committee in Abu Dhabi Police responsible for reducing pedestrian deaths said 52 were reported from January 1 to August 31, compared to 70 during the same period last year, a drop of 30.5 per cent.

Comprehensive study

The committee said nine bridges for pedestrians will be constructed to reduce the number of accidents.

They will be located near the bus station on Al Muroor Street, near the Carrefour on Airport Road, near Delma Mall in Mussaffah, in Al Bahia on the Abu Dhabi to Dubai highway, near Zayed University and Al Bani Yas on the Abu Dhabi to Al Ain highway.

Three of these bridges will be ready by the end of this year.

The locations of the bridges were identified after a comprehensive study on traffic and pedestrian movements, said Lieutenant Colonel Jamal Salem Al Amri, head of public relations at the Department of Traffic and Patrol at Abu Dhabi Police.

The department has already taken steps to raise road safety awareness among 1,200 farm workers.