Ashghal takes new measures to ramp up safety near Qatar’s schools

As part of its School Zone Safety programme, the Public Works Authority (Ashghal) has completed work to enhance safety on roads near 63 schools in Qatar.

It has also completed temporary safety enhancement measures around 33 schools.

Works are under way to enhance safety on roads surrounding 21 schools and work on designing safe roads around 180 other schools is in progress.

Started in 2013, the School Zone Safety programme aims to ensure the safety of students and parents arriving at or departing from schools and to ease traffic congestion seen next to schools due to the lack of parking spots, sidewalks and footpaths.

Priority was given to 200 school zones (including 348 schools) in coordination with the Ministry of Interior and the National Road Safety Committee and after identifying the schools in urgent need of safety measures.

The plan aims to ease traffic congestions in these areas, separate vehicles from pedestrians and improve unpaved roads to achieve higher safety levels.

Preparatory works are under way to improve roads around 22 other schools, in addition to completing the design work for 158 schools, which brings the completion percentage of the plan to more than 70% (264 schools out of 380).

The completion of the integrated development works for each school takes about three months, preceded by several stages of assessment, which include identifying entrances and exits of roads leading to the school.

The work also includes setting standards, technical foundations, requirements for the establishment of parking lots and various stopping points and determining pedestrian crossing sites.

The work involves establishing safe roads in the school zones, providing car parks, building medians and small roundabouts in order to manage traffic flow in those areas.

These works include placing signboards and road markings near schools.

Moreover, the speed limit in school zones is set at 30 km/h and speed bumps are being installed.

The Roads Maintenance team is also creating safe footpaths for pedestrians and people with special needs.

Safe entrances to schools which overlook the main streets are provided as well and bright coloured rumble strips are placed to alert drivers when arriving or leaving the school district.

Clear warning signals are being placed at the entrances and exits of the roads leading to schools.

Courtesy: Qatar-tribune.com