Road safety has long been a matter for concern. Our road-fatality rate is unacceptably high compared to other modern countries, driving standards are poor, and our streets and pavements are not welcoming to pedestrians and cyclists. Part of the problem is that our cities have evolved to cater more for cars than for people.
In many parts in Abu Dhabi, for example, streets are so wide that it’s not safe to cross from one side to the other. Foot bridges and underpasses are few in number and far apart. Pavements are very wide in some places, but almost non-existent elsewhere. Cyclists face difficulties in finding safe routes around the city.
Experts at the Gulf Traffic conference in Dubai this week called for more pavements, footbridges and dropped kerbs in cities across the region to encourage people to walk and use bicycles. They also pointed to the importance of having more advanced public transport systems to encourage people to leave their cars behind when they go out.
Although improvements are being made, there is still much to be done. We need to design cities in such a way that many people will not need cars to go about their everyday lives. Reducing the number of cars will not only improve road safety and ease traffic congestion, it will lower vehicle emissions and play a part in the country’s overall strategy of achieving sustainable development and greener cities.
Making our cities people-friendly should be one of our priorities. We can’t eliminate cars altogether, but planners can take control of where and how cars are driven. It may be possible to create car-free zones, repurposing some streets for the exclusive use of pedestrians and cyclists. Reducing and controlling traffic should lead to fewer road deaths, and there will certainly be positive health effects for those who ditch their motorised vehicles and opt for foot and pedal power.
