Ashghal’s recent announcement that the road upgrade on the Corniche would be completed by November-end is a welcome news to people of the country.
The 6-km long Corniche road is a key arterial thoroughfare in the city and thousands of people use it every day. As Ashghal stated the QR200mn work on completion will significantly ease traffic congestion in Doha.
The work has been necessitated because of the city’s rapid development in line with Qatar’s unprecedented economic expansion. A significant increase in the number of vehicles and other road users has put pressure on the road.
A series of roundabouts on the 6-km long Corniche road only added to the traffic woes. Many experts have warned that roundabouts are among the “highly vulnerable” spots in the country.
Obviously, the authorities will have taken this into consideration while replacing the Corniche roundabouts with signalled intersections.
That the Public Works Authority has attached top priority to the Corniche road upgrade is evident from the project progress achieved so far.
The work on converting eight roundabouts and an interchange on the Corniche to signal-controlled intersections began in July. And in two months, the Ashghal officials have seen 50% work completion.
The project activity is getting into top gear with the installation of Intelligent Traffic System (ITS) which is expected to ensure smooth traffic during busy hours. The system will automatically detect traffic volume at a particular spot or stretch and then facilitate or streamline vehicle movement.
The authorities have imposed traffic regulations on the Corniche in view of the ongoing road upgrade work. In view of this, a portion of the Corniche road on either side has been closed for traffic.
Those who are using the Corniche road since the upgrade work in July have seen a pile up of vehicles, especially at peak hours in the morning and evening, forquite obvious reasons.
Motorists must fully understand the situation and co-operate with the authorities concerned so that the vital upgrade work can be completed in time without much hindrance.
Until the upgrade work is completed, the Corniche road must be used only by those who absolutely require it. Motorists who can find alternative routes must try those.
Also, they must factor the additional time required to reach their office, home or other places (these days) and plan accordingly. Remember, speeding on the road is highly undesirable and no solution at all!
Reckless driving put our lives as well as that of many innocent people at heavy risk.
As we have discussed in these columns previously, the success of traffic reforms largely depend on the co-operation extended by drivers’ on Qatar roads. We must all commit ourselves to fully observing our country’s traffic rules and regulations.