Foreign experts to study Sharjah traffic issues

The extensive study of all traffic issues of the emirate will be done over a span of six months in order to come up with effective and inclusive solutions.

In a bid to ease traffic congestion, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) Sharjah has outsourced foreign experts to carry out a comprehensive study of all intersections, traffic signals, pedestrian crossings, and surveillance cameras in the emirate. The extensive study of all traffic issues of the emirate will be done over a span of six months in order to come up with effective and inclusive solutions, said Yumna Al Zaabi, Traffic Engineering Section, RTA, Sharjah.

The international experts will further develop traffic operational programmes for the emirate in line with the extensive infrastructure mega projects being executed all over the emirate, she added.

“All the details and facts to be collected shall be best analysed and used for the benefit of road users and residents of Sharjah, the smiley emirate.”

Al Zaabi said RTA Sharjah has entered into an agreement with the W.S. Atkins, one of the world’s leading design, engineering and project management consultancies.

“The company, having expertise to respond to the most technically challenging and time critical infrastructure projects, shall equip all road components in the emirate with smart transport systems.”

The experts shall later, following the broad traffic survey, recommend solutions they deem necessary to ease traffic snarls, reduce environment pollution, and curb traffic accidents, she noted.

Rashid Mahboob, Intercity Public Bus Manager, RTA, Sharjah, told Khaleej Times the authority spares no effort to boost public shuttle service to cope with the progress of the emirate which has been named the capital of Islamic culture for the year 2014. “Having good roads and transport facilities has become inevitable to meet the expected growth in activities and programmes to run all the year round.”

ahmedshaaban@khaleejtimes.com