* Reducing travel time during the tournament
* Developing A-Ring Road and increasing number of lanes and its capacity
* Creating free lane for public buses and facilitating movement of emergency vehicles
* Facilitating arrival of public buses in timely manner and achieving integration of transport system
* Creating free and fast lane for Karwa taxis
The Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has announced the designation of a special lane for buses, taxis and authorised vehicles on A-Ring Road, to facilitate traffic and serve the FIFA World Cup 2022 transportation plan.
This has been done in co-ordination with the Supreme Committee for Delivery & Legacy (SC), the Ministry of Interior, the Ministry of Transport, and Mowasalat (Karwa), Ashghal said in a statement Saturday.
Abdulaziz al-Mawlawi, Mobility executive director at the SC, said: “The bus lane will help provide a smooth and environment-friendly transport experience for thousands of fans during the FIFA World Cup.”
“We would like to thank all our valued stakeholders for managing this important project, which will directly benefit fans and officials during the tournament and help Qatar deliver an outstanding event,” he said.
Lieutenant Khalid Nasser al-Mulla, head of the technical team of the Corniche Closure Committee, said the new lane will be designated for public transport buses, taxis and authorised vehicles such as emergency vehicles.
All necessary traffic markings and directional signs that support law enforcement and the monitoring of traffic violations in future stages have been developed.
He added that the existence of a designated lane for public buses will create a more comfortable environment for the movement of buses on the road network, which will contribute to reducing travel time, encourage the use of public transportation, and reduce the number of personal vehicles on the road.
The lane will also facilitate the arrival of police and emergency vehicles at accident sites and help evacuate the accident scene faster, which contributes to reducing traffic congestion on A-Ring Road and roads accessed through it, in addition to reducing the mixing of such buses with other vehicles.
Saleh Saeed al-Marri, acting director of the Land Transport Network Planning Department at the Ministry of Transport, said that in addition to reducing travel time during the World Cup, the bus lane will significantly contribute to reducing *CO2 (carbon dioxide) emissions as well as traffic congestion, especially at the main intersections in Doha Central.
This is in line with the measures that will be taken during the tournament to reduce the use of personal vehicles, as environment-friendly buses that run on electric energy will be operated.
He added: "The bus lane on A-Ring Road was designated for transportation during the World Cup to achieve the desired goals, but this does not prevent the study of permanent bus lanes in the future on vital corridors and roads in the country, in line with the comprehensive transport plan in the country, Qatar 2050, and the project to study the priority of bus lanes that the Ministry of Transport will prepare within the public transport network in Qatar and evaluate the proposed measures in this regard.”
Al-Marri emphasised that the Ministry of Transport is working towards enhancing the transport experience in general by adopting the latest, environment-friendly urban and technological systems that serve transportation systems in different regions in the world.
Mohamed Ali al-Marri, secretary of the Corniche Closure Committee, said: “This step comes after increasing the number of road lanes on A-Ring Road from two to four in each direction, to enhance road capacity and traffic flow and reduce traffic congestion.”
“A-Ring Road extends from Ras Bu Abboud Bridge to the Al Diwan Intersection with Al Rayyan Road, and is considered to be one of the vital roads in Doha as it links many commercial and residential areas and service facilities, in addition to linking many tourist destinations such as National Museum of Qatar, Museum of Islamic Art, Souq Waqif, Al Bidda Park, as well as developmental projects in Doha Central such as Msheireb Downtown Doha,” he said.
Ahmed Hassan al-Obaidly, executive manager of Operations at Mowasalat (Karwa), said: “This lane contributes to reducing the travel time taken for public transport buses on A-Ring Road and in Doha Central, as well as facilitates the arrival of public transport buses on time and achieving integration of the transportation system (buses and Metro).These improvements will encourage the public to use public transportation and create a free and fast path for taxis.”
This lane will achieve various environmental benefits such as reducing the number of personal vehicles on the road and encouraging the use of environment-friendly public transport, which in turn leads to reducing CO2 emissions and improving air quality, in addition to enhancing bus fuel efficiency and thus achieving the desired environmental sustainability.
Designating a lane for public transport buses on A-Ring Road is one of the measures taken by the committee responsible for managing the Corniche Street closure plan, and other priority lanes for buses passing on different routes will be determined later, the statement added.