An apparent oversight on the part of the agencies involved in the development of Salwa Road has resulted in at least 50 residences and about a dozen business establishments being deprived of direct road access.
The problem has been caused by the permanent closure of an exit and entry point in the Qatar Decoration area, near Teyseer Service Station. The turn-off had been in place for more than a decade.
“Now, we have to take a detour of at least 1km or endure the rush of vehicles inside the service station and lot of risk to reach or exit the main road,” a resident of Turki Gardens, one of the affected compounds, told Gulf Times.
The turn-off in question offered direct access from Salwa Road to two compounds and the businesses.
“Earlier, we could reach our compound in less than 50m after exiting Salwa Road,” the resident, who has been living in Turki Gardens for over 12 years, recalled.
There are 30 villas in Turki Gardens alone and all the residents echoed the same sentiments.
“The process of exiting or entering our compound is like negotiating a maze ever since the turn-off was closed,” pointed out another long-time resident.
When approaching the Qatar Decoration intersection from Doha, one option for the affected residents is to take a left, go to the next roundabout and take a U-turn and then take a right cut and approach the compound. This detour is of 1km and could take at least 10 minutes depending on the traffic situation.
“The other option, which is shorter but risky, is to enter through the service station, one of the busiest in Qatar and hence always crowded with vehicles,” the resident said.
The Teyseer Service Station’s entry point is usually clogged with vehicles awaiting their turn, especially those waiting for diesel, with the line extending well onto Salwa Road.
“On most occasions, we have to either wait in the queue for 10 to 15 minutes just to enter the service station so that we can take an exit to the right and proceed to our compound,” the resident said.
On some days, the congestion is so severe that the residents of the two compounds are forced to enter the service station through its exit in violation of a No Entry sign, failing which they have to take a long detour of at least 3km.
“Entering the service station ignoring the No Entry restriction is in itself a big risk, considering that vehicles are always coming out of the service station,” another resident said.
“Earlier, when I did not have the nerve to enter through the No Entry path, I had to take the long detour to reach home on at least a couple of occasions,” he recalled.
If the affected residents are unable to access their compounds through the service station, the only option is to proceed straight ahead and take a series of right turns, resulting in the 3km detour.
For a few days last fortnight, the residents concerned got some reprieve as a temporary exit point from Salwa Road was opened, exactly in front of the AC Delco outlet.
“But this is closed now and things are back to square one,” a resident added.