Beware: Strict safety rules, hefty fines against jaywalkers in UAE

UAE - Pedestrians dodging speeding cars and blindly dashing from one side of the road to the other is a common sight, especially on roads neighbouring the Dubai-Sharjah border.

Despite the installation of speed breakers, walkover bridges or a pedestrian crossing on Amman Street in Dubai's Al Nahda, 19-year-old teenager Nehal Shahin Shamshudeen was killed in an accident while crossing the road through an undesignated area. He died on the spot, but his family didn't know until three days later.

The last thing they knew was that he was helping the Dubai Police hand out Iftar meals - just like what he had been doing every year during Ramadan. "He had been a volunteer for Ramadan drives for many years," Nehal's uncle Ramsheed Aruthundiyil, a sales and marketing professional in Dubai, told Khaleej Times.

Following the incident, Khaleej Times takes a closer look into roads that are most-prone to life-threatening accidents. According to recent statistics issued by the Sharjah Police, a total of 30 deaths occurred due to pedestrians being run over last year.

The roads neighbouring the Dubai-Sharjah border, King Faisal Street (Sharjah), Ittihad Road (Sharjah), King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Street at the Dubai Marina, Khaled Bin Al Waleed Street near Rif'aa Street intersection, and the Arabian Ranches Street near Al Asayel junction are extremely busy with pedestrian traffic and is often witness to jaywalking pedestrians.

Jaywalkers are liable to pay a Dh400 fine if caught in the act. However, that does not seem to deter people from attempting to dash across the street.

In Al Nahda, regular road users and residents of nearby areas said that they have seen people jaywalking along with small children and sometimes having conversations on the mobile phone while trying to cross the four-lane road. The pedestrian bridges on King Faisal Street in Sharjah and another one near Ansar Mall has been under construction for two years. However, residents still have not been able to use it.

King Faisal Street resident and mother of a five-year-old son Divya Narwani said:

"The pedestrian bridge is not up, and there is only one zebra crossing in that entire road. The next one is too far to walk up to, especially in summer." Another Sharjah resident, Prathibha Venugopal, asked: "Despite the barricades on the Sharjah-Dubai highway, I still see people jumping the concrete divider and crossing the road. There needs to be at least three to four pedestrian bridges or subways on that road. There are so many residential buildings on both sides. How are people supposed to go across the street?"

Brig Mohammed Alai Al Naqbi, director of the traffic and patrol department, said that the Sharjah Police, in coordination with the Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority, are making efforts to reduce the number of run-over accidents by increasing the footbridges, crossing ways and zebra crossings with focus on Al Nahda and other residential areas.

He said in Al Nahda, there were several new footbridges established during the last three years including the ones near Al Ansar Mall and Al Ittihad Road. "Al Nahda area is popular because it is located on the Sharjah-Dubai border and many pedestrians cross over to save the Dh20 cross-emirate cab fare, and to cut short their daily commute."

He added: "These people ignore the rules and cross from anywhere to get to Dubai border and people working in Dubai do the same to save Dh20. The police have intensified crackdown on jaywalkers and fined so many people for failing to cross from designated areas." The police are also working with the RTA to solve such issues in Sharjah. He added: "Despite the decrease in accidents on internal roads, run-over accidents are happening due to non-compliance with traffic rules."

Brig Al Naqbi said that motorists also must abide by the law and reduce speed on busy internal and busy areas such as Al Nahda as there will be elderly and children who cannot judge their safety on the road. "Article 43 imposes on the motorist a fine of Dh500 and six black points for not giving priority to pedestrians who cross roads from designated areas while Article 48 slaps a fine of Dh500 for parking the vehicle in a pedestrian crossing," he added.

Brig Mohammed Alai Al Naqbi, director of the traffic and patrol department at the Sharjah Police, said that the traffic police are making great efforts to ensure the safety of pedestrians and decrease the number of run-over accidents.

These efforts have resulted in a drop in traffic accidents by 25 per cent during the first quarter of 2019 compared to the last. The number of run-over accidents came down because of the Sharjah Police's strategy of ensuring road safety, increasing the number of traffic patrols and launching more awareness campaigns. He said the main cause of run-over accidents is lack of attention while driving, speeding, crossing roads from undesignated areas and lack of awareness among the public about safety rules. Police authorities, under instructions of the Ministry of Interior, launched awareness campaigns on safe pedestrian crossing.

He added that the traffic police are making great efforts to ensure the safety of pedestrians and decrease the number of run-over accidents. Meanwhile, officials at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai said it considers pedestrian safety as a top priority. Statistics released by the RTA indicate that pedestrian fatalities dropped from 9.5 deaths per 100,000 of the population in 2007 to seven fatalities per 100,000 people in 2010 and dropped further in 2014 to its the lowest rate of one fatality per 100,000 population.

On Sheikh Mohamed Bin Zayed Road near the labour accommodation in Al Qusais, where at least six accidents occurred on an average before 2013, only four have occurred after the construction of overhead bridges. Fatalities were also reduced from two to zero.

It is presently building several pedestrian bridges in the city, including, one on the King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Street. The bridge links four sides of a vital junction of King Salman Bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Street with the Western Street near the JBR and the entrance of the Marina.

Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the RTA, said: "The bridge enables pedestrians to move freely between the four sides of the junction without stopping at the traffic signals. It extends to 65 metres, can accommodate 4,000 people per hour, and is expected to be completed in December 2019."

The junction is used by about 2,300 persons and 2,000 vehicles during peak hours. More than 1,000 individuals cross the junction to head to the JBR during the weekends. Moreover, Dubai Tram crosses the intersection every six minutes.

The area accommodates two tram stations and one bus stop, and there are no pedestrian crossings nearby.

He called on citizens, residents and visitors to use pedestrian bridges and subways when crossing streets. Al Tayer also called on motorists to observe the speed limits and slow-down at pedestrian crossings for their safety and the safety of other road users.