FUJAIRAH // Car crashes and deaths have prompted residents of two areas to call for a greater speed reductions and pedestrian bridges on a road that runs by their homes.
Last year, traffic police reduced the speed limit on the E99 that goes through Murbah and Qidfa from 120kph to 100kph, but residents said it is not enough and that a limit of 80kph or 60kph is better.
No statistics on incidents or deaths on the road were available, though for Fujairah as a whole there were 28 road deaths last year, up from 23 the year before.
Residents said many people have been killed while driving or trying to cross the E99 and complaints about speeding have not been addressed.
“I can’t forget the horrible accident that happened last year on this road, when a car crashed into a lamppost and was completely destroyed,” said Khalifa Al Kaabi, a 37-year-old Emirati who lives in Qidfa.
“The driver bled to death while the ambulance took time to reach him. This matter should stop and the government should take measures and act immediately to solve this huge problem.”
Mr Al Kaabi thought an emergency unit or medical centre should be built nearby and that traffic authorities should consider redesigning the road to add lights and pedestrian tunnels.
Bashayer Abdullah, of Qidfa, said pedestrian overpasses should be built, more U-turn points should be created and that the E99 should have an extra lane on each side, making it three lanes each way, to deal with the heavy traffic.
“I live on the west side of Qidfa and it takes me double the time to reach my home due to the fact that there is only one U-turn in the road,” said the 29-year-old.
“I think a roundabout that would connect the east side to the west side could solve some of the problems.
“The road goes through a very busy area, with shops on both sides, and many run-over accidents have occurred because of the street’s high speed limits and the lack of footbridges.”
Ahmad Al Kindi, a 34-year-old Emirati from Murbah, said: “The speed limits must be changed. It is a very busy road and links many areas with each other. It’s the shortest way to reach Khor Fakkan from Fujairah, passing by many towns like Al Qurayyah, Murbah and Qidfa.
“They should reduce it [the speed limit] to 80kph instead of 100kph and they should know that street bumps are useless [at slowing vehicles] when it comes to [pedestrians] crossing the road, especially kids.”
Nidaa Harith, a 35-year-old mother of five, said that many children, including her own, are forced to cross the road to visit a sports club.
“Many kids go to Al Orouba Sports Club on the west side of the town and they need to cross the road to get there. It’s really unsafe and dangerous,” she said.
“There should be a safe way for them to cross over, like a bridge or something. Many accidents happen on this road and there should be some kind of solution.”
Traffic police were not available for comment.
rhaza@thenational.ae
