To continue the foot bridges thread:

nomerci
By nomerci

Do you believe that if there were plenty of foot bridges in Qatar the death rate of pedestrians would be significantly less?
Yes or no ?

I do not believe so , because I do not think that a significant number of pedestrians would use those bridges.

By nomerci• 8 Feb 2011 12:41
nomerci

Whyte...exactely...one puts one foot in front of another and walks across....maybe we must hire special teachers for this one...oh wait...that would be the State of Qatar's responsibility.;)

By anonymous• 8 Feb 2011 09:12
anonymous

So???

Teaching people how to use foot bridges isn't rocket science.

By Pikey• 8 Feb 2011 09:11
Pikey

Aye Aye then you will have to teach these Pedestrians how to use subways and footbridges.

It's all about awareness and education

By anonymous• 8 Feb 2011 09:08
anonymous

There are no covered bus stops right now so don't think covered foot bridges are going to appear anytime soon.

This country is not meant for walking. Period

By anonymous• 8 Feb 2011 08:56
Rating: 5/5
anonymous

Ok Foot Bridges will only work if they were covered, in the summer heat it is not nice to walk in open.

It would be appropriate to build under-road underpasses or Subways which will be more favourable in the summer months and more likely to be used than FootBridge.

By Arien• 8 Feb 2011 08:48
Rating: 2/5
Arien

Over bridges and fines together might work.

By anonymous• 8 Feb 2011 08:47
anonymous

Ya there is always water outside one of your neighbour's house :P

By anonymous• 8 Feb 2011 08:43
anonymous

My (Qatari) neighbor has his car washed by his driver every morning right in front of his house. (At least I do it behind closed doors).

By anonymous• 8 Feb 2011 08:42
anonymous

Doha is not Dubai, WK!

By anonymous• 8 Feb 2011 08:40
anonymous

LP I have seen people getting fined for washing their cars in Dubai.

By nomad_08• 8 Feb 2011 08:40
Rating: 3/5
nomad_08

Even poor countries like the Philippines provide foot bridges for pedestrians.

By anonymous• 8 Feb 2011 08:34
anonymous

There are also fines for washing a car with drinking water. Anybody had to pay the 10.000 Riyals yet?

Fines are everywhere, but nothing is enforced.

By s_isale• 8 Feb 2011 08:31
s_isale

there are fines in Dubai if you dont cross the roads at the marked places.

By Nic• 8 Feb 2011 07:48
Nic

Qatar can afford it but do they want it?

By Nic• 8 Feb 2011 07:29
Nic

Educated people can display ignorance when their comfort removes them the ability to understand others who didn’t have their luck!

I wonder if certain people here (who only drive around Doha) were on the shoes of those who must walk with no other choice, would be so inconsiderate and blindly judgmental!

Put them on the streets of Doha (on D ring as the example pointed out) and see if they would walk half way along the 1km road to across it on one of its ends (one end being a roundabout which is never 100% safe for a pedestrian).

I wonder if those people were in the situation of those who can’t afford a car, they would sound so undisturbed and egotistical about the safety risk pedestrians face by necessity on a daily basis here in Doha!

Yes, a government has the obligation to ensure the safety of its citizens. Sure Qatar can learn a few things with other (more developed) countries. It sure can afford it.

Building a country with practically façades only is not how developed countries do!

A developed country provides all the hard and soft conditions to ensure pedestrian’s safety and full mobility (including those in wheel chairs, totally neglected by Qatar).

Some here come from more privileged countries that already have these conditions in place but it seams that either they take them for granted and do not understand that those conditions were planned and implemented by their local authorities in accordance with the local realities and needs.

Yes, a government has the obligation to provide the safety conditions to ensure that pedestrians (including handicapped people) walk and across streets safely…

As mentioned, here even not so rich countries do so, why not the richest country in the world?!

By britexpat• 8 Feb 2011 07:01
britexpat

In Saudi, they have bridges for Camels to cross the road :O)

By s_isale• 8 Feb 2011 06:53
s_isale

unless it comes with fines, people will not tend to use it.

By anonymous• 7 Feb 2011 18:25
anonymous

in england they have made a footbridge for rodents to cross the road...and rodents supposedly, use it !!

http://www.mirror.co.uk/news/top-stories/2010/08/25/council-pay-190-000-for-mice-bridge-over-road-115875-22511990/

By anonymous• 7 Feb 2011 17:35
anonymous

qatar should eradicate 200thousand insurance to those who cross the road and being killed...no footbridge needed....

By flor1212• 7 Feb 2011 17:32
flor1212

question and answer portion!

My answer is YES!

And BTW, the topic is about footbridges, not the users? I thought the topic was about how to help? Or at least give sensible ideas?

By nomerci• 7 Feb 2011 17:28
nomerci

oh wait...maybe hammer some common sense into those people's heads....

By nomerci• 7 Feb 2011 17:27
nomerci

flor, no, none of my business. I am not a citizen of this country.

By flor1212• 7 Feb 2011 17:21
flor1212

something worth considering?

By nomerci• 7 Feb 2011 17:18
nomerci

I just do not believe it is Qatar's responsibility to educate people on how and when to cross a road.

I have, as many other people have, seen exactly those people cross the road right next to a foot bridge. Numerous times. I have also seen them cross the road a few meters away from a pedestrian crossing. So, for me, foot bridges are useless.

By flor1212• 7 Feb 2011 17:17
Rating: 2/5
flor1212

and underpasses in our country. Not all but many specifically in the business district of MAkati. Since Qatar is relatively a rich country, escalators is just a small price for such!

By nomerci• 7 Feb 2011 17:14
nomerci

Flor, sure, they also can have some servants to carry people across....;)

By flor1212• 7 Feb 2011 17:02
flor1212

for going up only! And put shades! They can afford it!

By baldrick2dogs• 7 Feb 2011 16:49
baldrick2dogs

Magis, Bridges are simpler to construct and will not disrupt traffic as much.

By magis65• 7 Feb 2011 16:42
magis65

Best solution is to have an underpass..why if underpass in Dubai not gets polluted, nothing illegal happens, always clean....then why can't Qatar maintain it...

By Oryx• 7 Feb 2011 15:35
Oryx

Agreed Non-Merci

I have seen people walk across all the traffic on Al Wabb when they are only 20metres from the traffic lights.

I won't use them because I don't like heights....

By baldrick2dogs• 7 Feb 2011 15:23
baldrick2dogs

Riyadh has subways. They are all closed as "illegal" things can take place in them.

By glecs• 7 Feb 2011 15:07
glecs

YES, it will save the lives of the people with common sense.

By FathimaH• 7 Feb 2011 14:47
FathimaH

DP

By FathimaH• 7 Feb 2011 14:46
Rating: 4/5
FathimaH

it may very well reduce the number of accidents and deaths. Of course fools will be fools but you can't save everyone!

By anonymous• 7 Feb 2011 14:43
anonymous

Building foot bridges will definitely help , and a public awareness campaign to use them might help as a long term measure.

By anonymous• 7 Feb 2011 14:39
anonymous

Walking on the roads is a nightmare at the moment, crossing roads really difficult. I don't know about the number of accidents but it will ease the pain of some pedestrians :(

As for reducing the number of accidents, there are many things as Nic mentioned.

By anonymous• 7 Feb 2011 14:37
anonymous

Subways are dangerous and they get dirty quickly. Normally rape takes place in subways.

By flexicode• 7 Feb 2011 14:35
flexicode

Why not subways rather than foot bridges. This, i think will be much climate friendly for qatar as compared to footbridges.

I was in RM but I could not resist posting since no one has considered it in the discussion.;)

By Nic• 7 Feb 2011 14:29
Rating: 4/5
Nic

nomerci,

Safety on city roads is not improved just by building cross bridges.

There are many other things a city must consider: infrastructures, enforcement of adequate driving rules (making it compulsory to stop at pedestrian crossing, more pedestrian crosses, education/ awareness of drivers and pedestrians (taking into account their profile) and maybe more 1000 etcs...

It’s like starting to build a country from scratch and all they achieved here is very sketchy (apart from the hallow facades)!

By somwerNdmiddle• 7 Feb 2011 14:26
somwerNdmiddle

if people won't use footbridges to cross the street, fine them for jaywalking, or jail them for a day, the stricter the rules, the more lives saved.

By Khanan• 7 Feb 2011 14:23
Khanan

but as Brit said..

some idiots will find some idoitic excuse to skip the little effort...

By plushed• 7 Feb 2011 14:23
plushed

Yes.

And in addition, it would encourage people to walk. i know i would, since i hate crossing roads.

By Keidoupe• 7 Feb 2011 14:22
Keidoupe

they should build high fences on the bridge's edges also, so idiot people wont "accidently" fall and get hit by a car , again

By happygolucky• 7 Feb 2011 14:22
Rating: 4/5
happygolucky

Yes, it would reduce over a period of time when its advantage starts sinking in and its usage becomes a norm. Moreover, I would add, to give it more sting, that authorities declare a fine on jaywalkers as they had implemented in Abu Dhabi.

By anonymous• 7 Feb 2011 14:21
anonymous

You forget the climate, brit. In the summer they will always try the (dangerous) shortcut.

By britexpat• 7 Feb 2011 14:19
britexpat

Yes! There will always be idiots, but most people have common sense.

By anonymous• 7 Feb 2011 14:18
anonymous

They would also need to build high fences along the roads. Then the guys would be forced to use the bridges. Without it: NO.

By Rizks• 7 Feb 2011 14:15
Rizks

YEs, it would be less to some extend.

if the pedestiran wont use those bridges then wat will they use ? Hand gliders ? :(

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