The traffic officials during the meeting with citizens. Pic: Abdul Basit / The Peninsula
Doha: A number of people from Constituency Number 2 have complained about the existence of too many speed bumps, some of which they said were made without any approval. They requested the authorities to remove them.
This came during a symposium organised on Saturday by the Media and Traffic Awareness Department at the General Directorate with Ali Fahad Al Shahwani, CMC Member for the Constituency Number 2, in the presence of a number of people from the same constituency. Al Shahwani praised the efforts of the Ministry of Interior and its services to the public especially those related to traffic affairs, represented by the General Directorate of Traffic and its keenness on the safety of life and property.
Colonel Jaber Mohamed Rashid Odaiba, Assistant Director of the Media and Traffic Awareness Department, said that the aim of the visit was to extend bridges of communication with citizens, discussing traffic issues, and listen to their problems, their suggestion and finding solutions to them.
Major Mohammed Ali Dajran, Technical Inspection Officer; Captain Mohammed Sulaiman Al Hammadi, Head of Awareness and Traffic Culture Section; First Lieutenant Abdulrahman Mohammed Al Awi, Head of Traffic Studies and Information; and First Lieutenant Eid Al Hajri, attended the symposium, in addition to a large number of citizens.
The speed bumps was the main issue in the meeting and many people from the Constituency complained about them saying that these speed bumps should be removed because they damaged their vehicles and posed a risk to people’s safety. “The solution to control speed is not [making] speed bumps but by punishing traffic rules violators,” the participants noted. They also asked for more traffic patrols around the schools, especially during exams.
Colonel Jaber Mohamed Rashid Odaiba committed to the gathering to convey people’s complaints and suggestions to authorities concerned saying that a committee was previously formed consisting of Traffic Department, Public Works Authority (Ashghal) and the Ministry of Municipality and Environment to study complaints about speed bumps.
Al Odaiba also emphasised the importance of communication with the General Directorate of Traffic, through the Metrash2 application and Ministry of Interior website to report traffic violations either related to speeding or other violations, warning youngsters against drifting and reckless driving. He also pointed out that in case drivers indulged in drifting destroy public properties, they must pay the cost of the loss occurred.
The violation of drifting and reckless driving may lead to confiscation of vehicles for three months and also hefty fines which might reach up to QR3,000. He said the cases of repeated violations are transferred to public prosecution.
Major Mohammed Ali Dajran emphasised the importance of education and home awareness, in controlling the behaviour of youngsters.
