Dubai: Dubai roads with high pedestrian accident rates will soon be safer for pedestrians following the completion of seven pedestrian bridges this year and 12 more next year in some of the emirate’s busiest areas that don’t have these services yet.

Seven pedestrian bridges will be erected starting this month, five of which will be fitted with lifts. Bani Yas Street near the Marina, Al Mina Street will each have a footbridge while two bridges will be built on Baghdad Street near the Pakistani School and another near the Aqua Park. Al Maktoum Street, Amman Street, and Al Rasheed Street will each have their own bridges too.

“Constructing footbridges stems from the commitment of the RTA [Roads and Transport Authority] to provide safe means for pedestrians to cross roads. The new bridges will be constructed in a number of vital locations that have been identified in traffic studies focused on the dense movement of people between the two sides of the road, areas with abundant shops and organisations, and locations recording high run-over accidents (black points),” Mattar Al Tayer, RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director, said.

Al Tayer said RTA has selected vital locations in Dubai to get 12 new pedestrian bridges next year including Bani Yas Street near Dubai Municipality building and Damascus Streets and other streets in Al Nahda.

The decision was made after carrying out traffic studies that address population density, driving speed, services provided on both sides of the road and the number of traffic accidents in the area. And depending on the need of the area, RTA devises plans on how to make the roads safer for pedestrians including constructing footbridges, erecting signals on pedestrian crossing areas, humps, and speed limiters, among others.

Al Tayer reiterated the call for all pedestrians to use the bridges and subways dedicated for crossing roads and also called on motorists to abide by the specific speed limits and slow down at pedestrian crossing points for their own safety and the safety of road users.

Recently, RTA completed the construction of 13 footbridges comprising a pedestrian bridge on Al Saada Street opposite to the World Trade Centre (Conventions Hall) spanning 92 metres and fitted it with two lifts in each direction to accommodate the huge number of visitors to the centre. Two more bridges were also completed on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road near the Fruits and Vegetables Market and near the Workers Quarters at Muhaisnah, where pedestrians are often seen crossing the highway despite the risks.

Bridges on Al Mina Street, Shaikh Rashid Street, Umm Suqeim Street, Al Wuhaida Street, Amman Street, Latifa Bint Hamdan Street, Abu Baker Al Siddique Street, Al Khaleej Street near (Deira City Centre Metro Station), Al Mankhool Street and Al Rasheed Street are now serving pedestrians.

Lifts for the existing bridge at Al Nahda are also being constructed.

Work is currently underway in constructing four covered and air-conditioned pedestrian bridges for the Dubai Tram project on Al Sufouh Street.