Ashghal criticized for Qatar's traffic jams
Some engineers have blamed Ashghal for traffic jams in the city, especially on C Ring road and D Ring road, Al Raya has reported.
They say the inability of the public works authority to ensure contractors finish road projects in time and poor planning are causing traffic jams in different areas.
According to them, contractors for new projects do not create alternative routes when they start a new road project.
Engineer Badriya Kavood said that traffic jams were the result of poor planning as the authorities did not take a long-term view.
All road projects are temporary and planned only with the current problems in mind. Citing examples, she said the projects in the Najma area and on the C Ring, D Ring and E Ring roads were temporary in nature.
Engineers said there was need to set up a new department to manage traffic. It should be assigned the work of informing the public about new road construction works, closure of routes and diversions. This information should be disseminated through different media on a daily basis.
Engineer Khalid Al Nasr said that engineers at Ashghal should think of problems that may arise in future and plan projects to address those problems. They should not wait for a problem to occur and then plan to solve it.
Contractors should leave enough space on both sides of roads so that they can be expanded to meet future requirements. He added that a planner should think of future needs and not just the immediate requirements.
He said the authorities did not time road expansion and maintenance works properly. These works should be carried out during school vacations, when traffic volumes are lower, he said.
Engineer Nasir Al Suaidi said contractors start a project and then move to another, leaving the former project incomplete which accentuates traffic problems.
They start construction in one area and then start work in some other area randomly.
Engineer Mohamed Ibrahim Al Mohanadi, Deputy Chairman, Qatar Society of Engineers, said Ashghal's Project Department works in a random way while developing roads or their maintenance works.
Ahmed Jolo, Chairman, Qatar Society of Engineers, said it is not easy to develop old areas and carry out road projects.
These areas have many commercial institutions, shops, administrative offices, underground cables, water supply pipes and sewage networks.
People should keep patience during development work. [The Peninsula]
Ashghal are doing their best ??? if what they are doing now on the streets called their best then they should be replaced with other authority that can provide better planing ASAP . Coz Qatar really deserve the best (as they mentioned on their logo) , however what this company is doing is absolutely not the best and every one in Qatar knows that .
what they did in Ramada Signal ? is it most modern ? really pathetic
Ashghal doing good job ??? Yes they may be... but need proper planning on how to execute the construction works especially road network, the authorities i believe don't give time limitations to the contractor(s), the work is going on in their own sweet time, nobody to ask..... i stay in Al-khor, for reconstructing the same road by doing micro-tunnelling & installing new pipes the contractor takes 10 to 12 month for one road, they dug up all the roads at one time put the bullshit *** diversion & leave it for months together, the main R/A is months now & still nothing being done except excavation, the main sub-street of Al-khor where the pedestrians have to cross have no proper crossing for them, road dug up here & there with snaking diversions, so many knock down accidents of that poor pedestrians (mostly workers walking around)......... there is lot more to say but who is listening to us, only the people here know to rush with their Landcruisers. Atleast they should see & learn from their neighbouring states (UAE, Bahrain etc...)
@asmarino If your a representative of 'Ashghal', then I suggest you come up with more logical excuse. It's not due to population growth it's down to something else. Once that issue is cut out of equation might see progress in the future, but don't hold your breath.
Dears , Ashghal doing their best and the only solution is to provide proper Transportation and enough Accommodation Unless these Two Cases Due , The Traffic Jam will be Continue Due to increase Population in Doha .
Talking about Najma...I stay in Najma and the roads behind gulf cinema has been blocked since january. there was a notice in our building by the main contractor that it will be blocked for 120 days after a few days it said 60 days. anyways this road is most of the time blocked at both ends due to on one end its a round about behind gulf cinema and on the other end due to building construction they block that end. now this is no problem if not for the fact that the main contractor for the road works have blocked the other two parallel roads in between the c ring road and the road behind gulf cinema.
this causes traffic jams huge traffic jams..once i took 45 minutes to reach from my home to that round about behind gulf cinema.
and to make matters worse there is no work being done in these two parallel roads. they are just dug up and left unattended. sometimes i see two three workers walking here and there......and no work being done..
in old airport near shop rite supermarket they have again blocked the service road for repairs again after it was closed for a month...so what work is being done here????
roadworks drainage works in fact all infrastructure works are, as said by the engineers in the article above, are planned only for the moment or by the time it is finished it already not suitable even for the moment....
and don't even mention the exit and entry roads to the airport!!!!
ASHGHAL authorities should hire engineers with brain on their heads.!
Who knows the reasons that they can't award a new contract to professionals? Not Amateurs.
@Wild turkey but you didn't think about the bad drivers here that don't use their eyes because, they are captivated on whats going on on their smart phone. Or the drivers that simply shouldn't be behind the steering wheel at all.
Walking is healthy. There are too many obese people in Qatar anyway. Ashghal is supporting the national fight against obesity!
Addition to that poor planning, all main road in doha are widened but the problem now is the parking, you have now to take some times to search for parking space before going to your desire place and you have stil to walk.
They wont take long term views even now, the whole dafna area went from just salam plaza to a nest of huge sky scrapers but Qatar's infrastructure never developed, the road system is as horrible as always.... in fact it used to be much better back in 90s than what these greedy contractors made now.
I do not remember a single year in last 15 years that they haven't rebuilt a road in. In last 10 years they have dug up the roads 7 times as far as I remember, like seriously? this is how horrible the engineers are? It's a shame such a developing country left things in Ashgal's hands and they hire cheap low quality contractors to get their jobs done.
The problem is that Ashghal leaves everything to the contractor and takes it easy
really poor planing .. even where there is space it is been filled with new building's and malls instead of roads .. whole najma seems to be out of parking space ..
guys.. this is not result of poor or bad plan. it is just becoze of junction between our decade old internal road plan (which were not planned) and new roads with ultramodern plan. As everyone thinks here, road works is not only dealing with road construction and intensive dealing with many under ground services and it is important to shift those services without disturbing or causing blackout, while expanding the road. i feel that ASHGHAL doing its best. But as Ms. knor said the state should focus on developing other ends of Qatar.
Development in Qatar will continue until maybe by the year 2021....and maybe beyond, so traffic congestions will never be solve as this country will continue to grow. Unless the state will have a future plan on housing/accommodations like putting them outside Doha but provide adequate public transport system.
bad plan