Death lurks on Sharjah highway

Residents continue to question the lack of a pedestrian footbridge near Ansar Mall as the killer stretch of road has once again claimed the life of an innocent pedestrian. Last Wednesday, a young Bangladeshi man was killed at night when he was hit by a speeding vehicle while crossing the road. This was not the first accident in February, as two women of African origin were also hit by a car that was heading from Sharjah to Dubai. According to Sharjah Police, the women sustained critical injuries and are still recuperating in hospital. Al Ittihad Road has posed as a deadly crossing for pedestrians over the years, with many getting knocked down by motorists while crossing the road in front of Safeer Mall and Ansar Mall. Pedestrians though, have no other alternative to reach the other side of the road than run across the busy highway that has a speed limit of 100km/h. "Every time I hear the ambulance sirens I know that it's because somebody has been hit. I've been working here for nearly four years and nothing has changed since then. People from all nationalities get run over, because this neighbourhood is full of flats with families. Drivers do not expect people to cross the road, especially if they are on the mobile phone, so at night they do not see people until it is too late," said Zein Al Abidin, who works at a grocery shop next to Ansar Mall. Another shopkeeper, Rajendra Mohan, said as many as five pedestrian accidents occur every month on Al Ittihad Road. "There are many housemaids who cross the road to go to supermarkets and the shopping centres. Construction workers and delivery boys also use the road a lot. Getting a taxi to go all the way down the road for a U-turn is expensive and takes a lot of time because of traffic. They can wait for 20 minutes for the road to be clear but when they get tired of waiting, they run. I heard that a bridge was going to be built, but nothing has happened," he said. No sign of construction "Not even animals would dare to cross such a highway. Only the close relatives of the deceased will understand the pain of losing their loved ones, and not the authorities. If a footbridge cannot be built, then more shops should be built on both sides of the road so that people do not have a reason to cross," said a resident of Al Nahda, who declined to be named. Last July, authorities in Sharjah confirmed that a pedestrian footbridge would be constructed that will put a stop to the fatal accidents regularly occurring in the area. However, the road still remains the same and there is no sign that construction will take place any time soon. It was previously reported that construction of the footbridge was a collaborated effort between Sharjah Municipality and the Directorate of Public Works (DPW), and that they were in the process of tendering the project. After seven months, DPW continues to claim that the project is under study while Sharjah Municipality officials say they are unable to comment. From Gulfnews