DAMMAM, 8 December 2003 — Pedestrian deaths on the streets of Dammam and Alkhobar are heightening concern in the Traffic Department, which blames reckless driving for the problem.
Speeding motorists no doubt account for some deaths but the absence of pedestrian bridges over the roads and pedestrian subways is also a contributing factor.
In the past few weeks, at least six people have died while crossing roads in Alkhobar and on the Dammam-Alkhobar Highway. In addition to the fatal accidents, there have been several injuries and near misses involving pedestrians and speeding cars.
Residents in the twin cities say that the main cause is the lack of pedestrian bridges and subways. “We cannot put the blame entirely on motorists,” said an official at the Dammam Traffic Department.
The Dammam-Alkhobar Highway is 22 km long. When the road was built, there was virtually nothing on either side of it. In the past 20 years, however, the area has become heavily populated with a number of important offices lining the road. Every day hundreds of pedestrians cross the highway, risking their own lives as well as those of motorists.
The area in which most accidents occur is near the Dammam Industrial City and the Eastern Province Chamber of Commerce and Industry. Unfortunately, there is neither a pedestrian bridge nor a pedestrian subway and so there is no option but to walk right on the road and thus to risk life.
