For some people, walking is their only means of getting around. For others, it’s a part of a healthy lifestyle. And, even if your daily routine involves a bus, taxi or private car, each trip begins and ends on foot. In a city the size of Abu Dhabi, there are tens of thousands of walking trips every day – and nobody should be afraid of the simple act of crossing the street.
Yet, according to the Abu Dhabi Urban Planning Council, pedestrian deaths account for 29 per cent of all road fatalities in the emirate. We clearly need to do better in terms of pedestrian safety.
As The National reported yesterday, in the absence of a pedestrian bridge over Sheikh Zayed Street, formerly Salam Street, hundreds of people risk their lives every day during peak traffic hours. In a half-hour period, our reporter counted 26 instances of people crossing six lanes of traffic from the Lulu Centre to the Royal International Hotel in Al Zahiyah (the former Tourist Club area).
A crossing next to the Adnoc petrol station was closed when roadworks began in 2007 and the centre of the road was barricaded. Those barriers still remain, meaning that the option for pedestrians is to take a lengthy detour or run across the dangerous road. “There is virtually no pedestrian access across Salam Street between Hamdan Street and the Corniche,” noted Glenn Havinoviski, an associate vice president of transport systems at the US traffic-management company Iteris.
The capital’s roads have generally been built for the convenience of motorists and public transport, but the authorities need to pay equal attention to pedestrian safety. Better road design will help create the more walkable city that Abu Dhabi aspires to become.
There is little doubt that the authorities are addressing these concerns. That is evident in the nine new footbridges that have been built at a cost of Dh35.2 million, as well as in the fence dividing the motorway in Musaffah. But the city also needs underpasses and pedestrian-controlled crossing points. Creating walking routes will not only add to Abu Dhabi, it will help make us all safer and healthier.