The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has installed six cycling counters, including four on the Olympic Cycling Track and two on the common pedestrian and cycling track, along Al Khor Road.
These are aimed at providing enhanced safety for both pedestrians and cyclists, Ashghal said in a statement yesterday while announcing the opening of a shared pedestrian and cycling track on the eastern side of Al Khor Road along a stretch of 38km.
These devices provide riders with updated information and useful data such as date, time, weather and temperature. These also contribute to ensuring the safety of riders by displaying alert messages in case of bad weather (wind or fog) or in the event of any accident on the track.
Further, these devices help monitor the number of bicycles used on the track per hour, day or year, to provide a database and statistics for any future studies. In addition, they display advertisements of important sporting events.

* Olympic Cycling Track: Ashghal opened the Olympic Cycling Track in 2020. facilitating international sports competitions, as the track is designed to allow speeds of up to 50kmph. The track is 33km long and 7m wide, and provides a non-stop ride with 29 tunnels and five bridges.
* Al Khor Road and sport facilities: the road is considered a major link to many sports facilities, as it connects directly with Lusail Stadium and Al Bayt Stadium, and eases access to Al Rayyan Stadium by linking Al Majd Road, in addition to facilitating access to Semaisma Youth Centre, Al Khor Youth Centre, Al Khor Sports Club, Lusail Sports Complex and Doha Golf Club.
* Al Khor Road and Guinness World Record: in September 2020, Ashghal succeeded in breaking two records for the longest connected cycling path, as well as the longest piece of continuously paved asphalt on Al Khor Road.
The length of the longest piece of connected asphalt pavement reaches 25.275km, while the longest connected cycling path with is 32.869km long and 7m wide.
Through the Olympic Cycling Track, Ashghal aims to implement a connected and safe network of cycling paths, raising public awareness about healthy transportation and motivate the community to practise sports, the statement notes.
The track is completely separated from vehicular traffic to ensure the safety of cyclists. Such elements qualify the track for holding international sports events, especially given the high speed that the contestants can reach.
There are also 80 bicycle stands, 100 benches and 20 rest facilities provided along the route, besides 1,450 lighting poles installed along the Olympic track to enable people to explore it at night.
Ashghal's team accelerated the pace of work on the project and opened it to the public to break the record for the longest piece of continuously paved asphalt. The team carried out uninterrupted work for 10 consecutive days during which they poured 1.8mn sqm of asphalt to pave 65km.
 

* Alternative to Al Shamal Road linking with Doha: Al Khor Road extends along the eastern coast of Qatar along 33km from the northeast of Doha to the northeast of Qatar, after successfully converting the old Al Khor Road into a highway that extends from Al Khor City to Qatar University Street in Doha.
The old road of two lanes in each direction is converted into an expressway with five lanes in each direction, enabling about 20,000 vehicles per hour in both directions instead of 8,000 vehicles per hour on the old road. This will not only increase the road's carriage capacity but also enhance traffic safety that Ashghal pursues by providing two lanes for emergency transport.
* Connecting major roads: Al Khor Road is connected to several main roads throughout, including connections with parallel roads such as Al Khor-Semaisma Road, Al Majd Road and Al Tarfa Street, which provide various options for road users to travel between the northern and eastern regions, as well as the western and southern regions via Al Majd Road.
* Residential neighbourhoods: apart from Doha and Al Khor cities, Al Khor Road serves more than 20 residential neighbourhoods such as Semaisma, Umm Qarn, Tinbak, Wadi Al Banat, Rawdat Al Hamamah, Lusail, The Pearl-Qatar, Leqtaifiya and Al Tarfa, among others. The road also facilitates access to Mesaieed and Dukhan through the intersection of the road with Al Majd Road.
* Recreational facilities: the road will also provide smooth traffic movement to those heading to a number of recreational facilities such as Katara - the Cultural Village, Semaisma Beach, Al Farkiah Beach, Al Daayen Celebration Complex and Al Khor Corniche.
* Educational facilities: Al Khor Road also facilitates access to many educational institutions such as Qatar University, Community College of Qatar, College of the North Atlantic - Qatar, Qatar Leadership Academy and Doha Institute for Graduate Studies.   

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