Sharjah
I had shifted to Sharjah’s Muweilah Commercial Area earlier this year on the Shaikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Road. People here have to cross the main road, which is adapted to moderate and fast traffic, to reach the Al Qasimia University’s Mosque to offer their prayers.
Unfortunately, there is no legal pedestrian crossing at this spot and people have to gather in small groups and cross the road after waving their hands to stop the speeding traffic. This way of crossing the road is really dangerous and could result in accidents, especially on Fridays. Dozens of people come to this mosque to offer the Friday prayers and cross this dangerous road, even with vehicles approaching at very high speeds. This is mainly because the residents in the vicinity do not have access to a mosque elsewhere and the nearest mosque other than Al Qasimia University’s Mosque is approximately a kilometre away and is really small and cannot accommodate large number of worshippers.
Even those who live closer to this smaller mosque prefer to walk to the Al Qasimia University’s Mosque, as it has plenty of air-conditioned space available to offer prayers.
Pedestrians crossing this road are at a high risk, and so, I request the concerned authorities to please construct a pedestrian bridge or have a mapped pedestrian crossing before it is too late.
— The reader is a student based in Sharjah.
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Editor’s note: The reader’s concerns were raised with the management of the Sharjah Roads and Transport Authority. However, despite repeated reminders, they did not respond.