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29 March 2024

When Dubai's Traffic Police chief escaped accident at zebra crossing

Major General Mohammed Al Zafeen (SUPPLIED)

Published
By Majorie van Leijen

Pedestrian crossings should be provided with a traffic signal, believes Major-General Mohammed Saif Al Zafeen, Chief of Traffic, Dubai Police.

In a statement to Emirates24|7, he said: “Zebra crossings are sometimes not  respected by motorists. I think all zebra crossings should be provided with a traffic signal.”

Although traffic rules instruct any vehicle to stop when a pedestrian is crossing over at the designated crossings, little evidence suggests that this is common practice in the UAE.

As a consequence, pedestrian crossings form little guarantee of a safe passage to the other side of the road.

“I get the notion that some motorists think that the road belongs to them. Some people do not respect the rights of the pedestrian,” commented Al Zafeen.

“The other day I walked to my local mosque to perform the Isha prayer. I crossed the road at the pedestrian crossing and when I was half-way, a  vehicle approached with full speed. I had to step back, or I would have been hit.

“A little later a small girl crossed the same pedestrian crossing, and again a car was headed to the crossing without slowing down. We motioned the car to stop, else the girl would have been run over,” Al Zafeen narrated.

The same happened to Tom Grainger, a British resident living in Dubai when he walked home from Metro Station Internet City.

“I crossed the road at the zebra crossing, and I was close to being hit by a car. I do not understand this. It is a zebra crossing!” he said.

Accidents involving pedestrians are among the most serious challenges of traffic safety in the UAE.

In response to the challenge, authorities are focussing on educating pedestrians on wrongful practices such as jaywalking and introducing a new traffic rule which considers this practice as a violation. Foot bridges and subways have been added to the road infrastructure, so have zebra crossings.

However, little attention has been drawn to the fact that accidents occur on pedestrian crossings too, and perhaps the solution to pedestrian safety does not end with the zebra crossing.

“Authorities have put down zebra crossings for pedestrians to cross roads safely - and we the pedestrians have right of way in that situation. It is frustrating when drivers do not respect this,” says BC, a South African resident and frequent pedestrian.

“I may as well jaywalk in this case, but don’t because if I were hit by a car while jaywalking, it would be my own fault if I were injured.”

Alertness should be practiced by all road users, believes Al Zafeen.

“Pedestrians are responsible for their safety. However, nobody gets a licence without learning that you must stop at a pedestrian crossing. All road users should practice alertness while on the road.

“I really think that signaled crossings would be a solution,” he added. “I think there are enough pedestrian crossings inside the city, but many of 
these are without traffic signals and are unsafe.”