JEDDAH, 10 February 2004 — Crossing Madinah Road can be a life and death affair. The expressway, the city’s main traffic artery, is nearly always busy, from early morning to late at night. Crossing is not so bad when the traffic is log-jammed, a not infrequent occurrence at certain times of day, but when it is fast full of fast-moving traffic as it is most of the day, it is well nigh impossible.
It is no wonder that there are so many accidents on the road, as a result of vehicles tailgating at anything between 60 kpmh and 120 kpmh or reckless lunatics weaving in an out of traffic at even greater speeds or drivers shooting in from the service roads without paying the blindest attention to traffic on the main thoroughfare.
So why do people do it? Why try to pit oneself against a fast moving river of steel? There are even barriers erected in the middle of the road specifically to prevent pedestrians crossing — and which makes the quest far more difficult. The reason is the absence of enough overhead pedestrian walkways. It is fine if there is one nearby, but at over a kilometer apart, they are far and few between. It is difficult to conclude anything else but that Madinah Road was not designed with pedestrians in mind. The result is that people take their lives in their hands — and some do not live to regret it. Accidents involving pedestrians are an all too common occurrence on the thoroughfare.
For nearly an hour, Arab News monitored the highway. Often, it took nearly 30 minutes for pedestrians to cross. Instead of using one of the few crossing points — which would have been quicker — these individuals choose to stand stranded in or next to the median strip, waiting to risk their lives and the safety others.
Ali Muhammad, an employee at one of the stores lining the highway has witnessed too many minor and major accidents and near misses involving pedestrians. “I have seen damage done to five consecutive cars in one go because the first car hit the brakes attempting to avoid someone crossing the road.”
“Crossing the expressway at non-pedestrian points is suicidal and criminal, because it put other people’s life at risk, which is a crime. This is an expressway, so of course cars drive fast,” said Abdulbaset Anwar, one of the many who regularly use the route. “There is no way we can spot pedestrians in time, let alone stop for them to cross. Why do they endanger themselves this way? Why not heed the warning signs and why not use pedestrian points or bridges for crossing?”
One pedestrian told Arab News, after descending from a pedestrian bridge in Mosadiya area, “Saudis are famous for their reckless driving. The whole point of crossing the road is to reach the other side. How is that accomplished when there is not a chance of not living to see the other side? Sure, bridges and pedestrian crossings are few for such a major street, but that does not mean saving time and walking distance justifies losing life.”
“Trying to cross Madinah Road is difficult enough,” said a visiting Briton this week with business in an office off the expressway. “But at least it’s not as bad as in Riyadh. Last week I was outside the Faisaliyah Tower and I needed to get to a restaurant across King Fahd Road where I had an appointment. The mid-street barriers and the speeding traffic made it impossible to cross. I had to take a taxi, which cost me SR10. The way back was double because of the one-way system. SR30 just to cross the road. It’s outrageous!”
In conclusion an Indian expatriate who works in an office on Madinah Road said, “The pedestrian bridges are far and few. And with weather usually hot and humid, people say to themselves, “I’ll just cross right from where I’m standing instead of walking down to that bridge.”
More consideration should be given to those walking, He added. “If they are going to tighten pedestrian regulations and have a barrier making it impossible to cross the road, they should also make it more convenient by increasing the number of bridges.”
