DOHA: The recent accident involving a truck at the Barwa Village signal on Al Wakra road has drawn sharp criticism from many Qataris living in the area, with some of them urging the authorities to ban the movement of trucks on the road at least during peak hours.
They say that Al Wakra road sees heavy truck traffic, which is the main reason for frequent traffic jams and accidents.
Constant movement of heavy vehicles carrying construction materials to Al Wakra and Mesaieed is causing traffic jams not only during peak hours but also at other times.
“The frequent movement of trucks and trailers has become a big menace on the road for other motorists. This is continuing despite the opening of the new road dedicated to heavy vehicles leading to Mesaieed area,” Abdullah Al Mazrooi, a Qatari citizen, was quoted as saying by a local Arabic daily yesterday.
Al Mazrooi added: “The majority of the heavy vehicle drivers do not comply with traffic rules. They not only drive at a high speed but also occupy the emergency lane for long periods, which causes accidents and pedestrian deaths.”
He said the Al Wakra road was not designed for this purpose. It has only two lanes each way. But due to the frequent movement of a lot of trucks, very little space is left on the road for smooth movement of other vehicles.
He further said that parking of trucks in the Al Wakra neighbourhood also inconvenienced other motorists.
Khalid Al Dosri, another citizen, added: “This was not the first accident on Al Wakra road. It has witnessed many accidents involving trucks carrying construction materials. The Traffic Department should impose a complete ban by declaring it a ‘no-heavy vehicle road’.”
He also suggested that trucks use the road developed for the movement of heavy vehicles to the Mesaieed area.
Hamad Al Abdullah, yet another Qatari who uses the same road frequently, said: “If use of Al Wakra road by trucks is inevitable, there should be a specific time period, which can be between 9pm and 4am.”
He added: “It has been observed that truckers not only drive at a high speed but also overtake in violation of traffic rules, which often causes accidents.”
However, Saif Abu Al Ainain, another Qatari, said the use of Al Wakra road by trucks was unavoidable due to several ongoing projects along the road, such as the new port project and the Abufontas project.
“Preventing trucks from using Al Wakra road may cause delays in project delivery, because the new special road for trucks is very far from these projects. However, drivers must be made to comply with traffic rules strictly, and old trucks should not be allowed to ply on this road as any breakdown on the way may worsen the situation.”
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