*Contract for Directional Sign Strategy signed with Parsons International

The Public Works Authority, Ashghal, launched on Monday the Directional Sign Strategy which aims to standardise the road signs across the country by making them easy to follow and read.

Parsons International, the consultant, will complete the design of Directional Sign Development Strategy by the end of 2019. All existing directional signs are to be reviewed and replaced with new ones.

Ashghal president Dr Eng. Saad bin Ahmad al-Muhannadi signed the contract for the Directional Sign Development Strategy project with Parsons International president Garold Adams.

General Directorate of Traffic’s Traffic Engineering and Safety Department director Brigadier General Mohamed Marafih and a number of senior officials were present.

“This contract is a continuation of Ashghal’s efforts towards adapting the best practices in the field of development, implementation and management of infrastructure,” Dr al-Muhannadi said.

The Directional Sign Strategy also helps to improve traffic flow and connectivity between main and local roads and enhance the safety of road users.

Ashghal is in co-ordination with relevant authorities in this regard, including the Ministry of Municipality and Environment, Ministry of Transport and Communications, Ministry of Interior, the Supreme Committee for Delivery and Legacy, and Qatar Rail.

The contract includes reviewing, updating and developing of all existing directional signs, as well as providing new signs in line with design standards within the Directional Sign Strategy. It will help road users to set their routes in advance, and gradually and safely make adjustments as they approach the intended exit without the need to make a last-minute change exposing them and others to risk.

The signs will be implemented in accordance with international standards, with attention to the installation in appropriate and clear locations to enable the driver to read the information written on them, and make it easy to see it clearly during day and night. The standardisation of the signs will add an aesthetic characteristic to the main roads in Qatar.

The names of areas, roads, streets, symbols and some colours are used on directional signs on main roads and expressways in the country to categorise and identify these roads, making it easy to describe how to reach the destination using only the code of the road and the number of exit.

One of the most important symbols on the directional signs is Q. The symbols are used for the identification and numbering of the expressways that cross the main areas in the country from North to South and from East to West or through them. Example of expressway symbol: Q2 and Q4 symbolising Al Majd Road.

The symbol D is used to identify the main roads, which cross the main areas and intersect with the expressways Q. Example of the main roads symbol: D6 which symbolises Sabah Al Ahmad Corridor.

Other symbols are also used to identify important destinations and places of interest such as the ball symbol, which symbolises the football stadiums, and the plane symbol, which symbolises Hamad International Airport.

Also in some cases, some destinations are marked on the surface of the asphalt road where it is difficult to add road signs.

Some directional signs are equipped with intelligent transport systems (ITS) to illustrate some information of interest to the driver such as: lane closed, busy road – used alternative road, etc.

The project will also contribute to the promotion of tourism by introducing tourists to the most important tourist destinations in many regions of the country.

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