Dh1.5m on road fences in Sharjah to reduce run-over deaths

Sharjah has spent Dh1.5 million on road fencing in a bid to reduce the number of people dying in run-over accidents.

The death of 50 people in such incidents in the just 13 months prompted the emirate’s Roads and Transport Authority to carry out a series of fence works on all major roads to boost the safety of pedestrians.

Roads that were fenced include Al Zahraa Street, Fourth Industrial Street stretching from Industrial Area 10 to 11 and Al Khan Street between Al Nahda and Industrial Area 7.

The authority’s maintenance department carried out the work during the summer and, in addition to fencing, it implemented several maintenance projects on vital roads at a cost of Dh6.22m.

The road connecting Umm Fenein and Rahmani areas, opposite Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, and the university city road between Al Shahba and Industrial Area 6 as well as many other roads had their asphalt layers repaired and some U-turns widened to smooth traffic flow.

Read more: New pedestrian bridges for Sharjah

Sharjah Police said that it registered 11,343 offences from pedestrians crossing roads at undesignated areas from the start of January last year to the end of January this year.

The incidents led to the deaths of 50 people, while 22 were severely injuring and 163 received moderate to minor injuries.

Run-over accidents cause the greatest number of road deaths in Sharjah, according to Brigadier Saif Mohammed Al Ziri, commander-in-chief of Sharjah Police.

Nearly 800 jaywalkers were fined Dh200 each during the same period.