Students, teachers forced to walk to school due to traffic jam

Sharjah - Some teachers and employees gave up and returned home after being stuck in traffic for a long time.

Many students, teachers and school employees were forced to walk to their schools in Sharjah's Maliha area on Tuesday morning, due to a massive traffic jam. The traffic jam, which lasted for about four hours, was the result of an accident on the Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed road in Dubai.
Some teachers and employees gave up and returned home after being stuck in traffic for a long time.
According to the police, the congestion  was caused after a truck overturned on the Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road towards Dubai. The truck driver sustained minor injuries in the accident. He was rushed to the nearest hospital, where he is recuperating in a stable state.
Bahrar, a parent, said: "We were stuck on the road from 7am to 8.30am. I told my son, who is in grade 10, to walk to school to avoid being late."
An official from the Sharjah traffic police said that they coordinated with the traffic police in Dubai in order to open the roads for motorists from and to Sharjah by diverting traffic to alternative roads. The police deployed additional traffic patrols on all streets and intersections.
The official said the congestion on all roads leading to Dubai resulted from the accident, as this is considered a passing point for motorists from all the northern emirates.
Abdul Jabar, a schoolbus driver, said the students he was transporting reached school three hours late as a result of the traffic jam.
Aby Rayan, a banker, said that he had to go back home as he was stuck in traffic for three hours.
afkarali@khaleejtimes.com

• UAE