DOHA - Heavily-laden trucks of all varieties are causing damage to the country's roads, according to Dr Hassan Yunus, an engineering expert in the Department of Traffic and Patrol.
In an interview with the in-house Traffic magazine, he said international laws allow for loads of 36 to 40 tons on a truck. However, even basic norms are not being observed by transportation and manufacturing firms here.
He said: "This is an issue that should be looked at seriously. Road networks are a vital national asset. Of course, there are also huge expenses involved in building roads, starting from the very beginning at the planning stage."
He said that various rules and regulations were in place which ensured heavy penalties on companies breaching the laws. However, there were many firms who continued to violate the rules, said Yunus.
"Companies must pay attention to areas like overloading. Trucks carrying very heavy cargoes are a major factor behind damaged roads," said the official.
However, heavily-laden vehicles are a common sight on the city's streets. Many huge trailers carry large loads, including ironically, road building equipment as well as construction machinery, clearly in violation of the rules.
But with many construction projects underway in the country, companies have to beat deadlines and so are apparently ready to risk a fine.
Yunus also said that public safety is at stake as damaged roads can lead to drivers to lose control of their vehicles. "This can happen especially when making a sharp turn," he said.
Yunus emphasised that roads are also a link to neighbouring states' land borders and are an important transportation link.
"The importance of the road networks in transporting people and commodities cannot be underestimated," said the expert.
© The Peninsula 2007
