Doha Traffic - The Chaos
What is wrong with Doha's present Traffic. I have never been so frustrated driving in Doha since the past 1 week. I guess there are NO as SUCH TRAFFIC RULES in Doha. Almost everyone wants to Violate rules, drive without care, dont pay importance to Traffic Signals, Indicatiors, Over take from the Left Side, Flash Lighs. What is wrong.. what is the HURRY all about. I always do my best to abide by the Traffic Rules, but i guess soon I will turn out to be the biggest Violater of Traffic Rules.
I am so sick and frustrated, people dont ask or request for way, they just barge in, and if questioned get annoyed and show aweful hand signs.
I was waiting like another patient driver waiting in line to get signal near the Small Muntaza / Najma Signals, my patience did not work, untill i seen lots of Impatient reckless drivers sneaking their way in from the right side. I lost 4 signals and my patience.
I always wonder where is the police, and who is watching all this. No one seems to care about Red Lights as long as there exists no Camera, no speed Limits unless there is no camera, The permanent camera only help reducing the speed of such divers who know the location of cameras and the zoom off once they cross it. I have had 4 near accident experiences in this past week, new drivers, who I dont know how they get Drivers License. I guess nearly 60% of the drivers on Doha roads need to know how to drive a car on the streets.
Mobile phone.. huh.. God.. You will still see a bunch of Morons with thier Cell Phones Glued to their ears and dont even know where they are heading..
I guess all are back from their vacations, the Karwa Drivers are on the move to kill whoever comes their way. Esp the Taxi's. About the roads, I dont want to talk about them, Esp Industrial Area.
The only problem i see here is that all people are in some sort of Hurry and are impatient. What is happening.. Am I the only one who is a victim to this Frustrating Traffic of Doha or Am I soon gonna be one of them.. I dont know..
once told me that, when on roads with traffic and traffic lights, crossings etc, getting from A to B would probably take exactly the same time whether you drove at 30 mph or 80 mph.
I suppose that only applies if the driver obeys lights/give way signs and stops for pedestrians on crossings :D
Canarybird
life is too short to spend it in traffic! My suggestion to anyone annoyed from this traffic situation is: Don't speed in the roads, neither try to race home or work coz u're late, or race to the hospital coz ur parents are ill or ur wife is having a baby... because when you're in doha you'll always be late. SO, an alternative is to just leave! and come back in a few years when things might be better:D
... those who have wasta with the Police. They drive with impunity because whatever fine they are given is 'fixed' by an obliging friend or relative. No laws are going to solve that one I'm afraid...
Ingrid
My suggestion is if you are going from home to work leave earlier simple as that. If you are going home take your time because you want to get there in on piece.
There are no bad drivers because of the roads there are just bad drivers full stop. Reckless drivers are of course all over the world but most of them seem to have found a home in Qatar. What do you think??
Why do ppl wonder about why are others in a hurry. WELL take a look around! 3/4 of the roads in qatar are under construction. going from home to work for example before the road works used to take 10mins now takes an hour plus sometimes. It's crazy. Obviously ppl are gna be in a hurry and reaaaally annoyed when they have to do the whole round of doha to get across the road!! As for the reckless/ bad drivers etc. u will find them anywhere in the world not only here. It's the roads which are making drivers worse. Thats what i think.
Mrs
You would like them to put up the speed to 100km.p.h - do you think that is really wise, the young boys would have a field day racing each other and the people who at present can't handle their cars at 80 km.p.h. will definately not be any better with 100 km.p.h.
In most countries you are only allowed to drive at 50km.p.h. 30m.p.h. You have to look at the Al Waab Street which has three lanes (not quite finished at Al Saad) going in the direction of Vilaggio and Hyatt Plaza this street is also well paved and new wiht lanes for turn off left etc. Every day there are accidents there because poeple jump the traffic lights or drive too fast and there it is als only 80km.p.h.
Red_Pope
Give Qatar a chance to go forward with the implementation of the traffice rules, however, I would start renovation at the very bottom of the ladder by having all the driving instructors taking a test and a revival of the Highway Code according to what I have seen here on the road.
Then we have to take into consideration all the heavy trucks and lorries with full loads that don't have their loads secured or are overloaded driving at high speed and are not able to control their trucks when too fast.
Last week on the Ryan Road as I was going home from work the truck in front of me moved after the traffice lights turned green and lost nearly his whole load of water all the palattes fell on the street complete with water bottles. If there had been someone fast behind him it would have sliced the roof off the car.
There is a long road to go down yet, in my opinion until the traffic situation becomes balanced.
Ever tried driving in Tehran I have driven there the motto there is "best man wins".
For a government to be effective has to enforce their laws without prejudice or racism. Leading by example.
The law of the land is designed to maintain order, respect and tolerance among the population.
Everyone has to learn to respect them equally. Not based on preference of old age traditions, race or faith.
When you don't enforce them, is just a paradox of anarchism.
Respectfully
Red_Pope
Cardinal OF QATAR LIVING
" I would rather drive here than in Paris or Rome" … you are kidding right???
Not only drivers make a mess. Take for example the new road design at Family Food Center at the Airport Junction. You can't leave from the back FFC to be directly at that junction to go to Toyota junction. The service road takes you back in circles to the Airport road heading south/Wakra. It could've been easily designed to let vehicles access to that Airport junction!
Also, and on the same new Airport road heading south/Wakra; this road is brand new, 3 lanes each way, flat, smooth...but max allowable speed is 80km/h!!! Rediculous! Must be 100 at least. Specially the part after Old Airport Road Junction!
"Be strong but not arrogant
Be modest but not weak"
S.H
at the moment. I guess a lot of people are still out of town. If you think that the traffic is bad now, wait another month until it gets really bad.
I agree with Diamondgirl. Although the standard of driving here is very poor I would rather drive here than in Paris or Rome.
Victory attained by violence is tantamount to a defeat, for it is momentary. Mahatma Gandhi
The Al Waab road is a serious problem now too in the traffic, due to the fact that the road has been built out people seem to use this as a racing track. I travel at the sam timeevery morning as do many others and I always meet the same people driving from on traffic light to the next at least at km130 p.h. and (as previously mentioned) no indicators and no care about the person behind.
There are also serious problems still with cell phones not to mention the people drinking coffee and chatting with there their partner. Then we have the all out foreign driver who has no idea about the highway code nor any respect for traffic regulations.
There was a very serious accident on the Al Waab road at one crossing this morning involving 4 cars as I saw. I am not sure what happened but it looked as if someone jumped a road signal.
Why is life so unimportant when just to be the first at the signal or even to jump the signal.
hopefully the stricter traffic laws that have just recently come into practice will make a difference.
I know I don't want to get slapped with thousand Riyal fines or lose points.
@Diamongirl, or Thailand or India :P
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Don't ever drive in Paris or Rome then...I just have to shut my eyes most of the time when I'm driven around them...lol...they make Doha seem like a city of excellent drivers...
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'Love is the answer...'
well most of the drivers you are seeing must have crossed their frustration level.
If only all the abovementioned 60% drivers would somehow manage to take a defensive driving course....
33,000 people are coming to Qatar every month on an average. Hundred new cars enter the 'road rage' every day. The worst has yet to cometh IMI....