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Doha – Qatar 

HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa Al-Thani today launched the Qatar Pedestrian Crossings Master Plan (QPCMP) at an event organized in St. Regis Hotel by the Ministry of Transport and Communications.

The event featured a presentation on the aspects and components of the master plan and a video clip on pedestrian crossings designing.

HE the Prime Minister later had a tour at the exhibition and was briefed on the themes of pedestrian crossings in display.

On this occasion, HE Minister of Transport and Communications Jassim Saif Ahmed Al-Sulaiti said, “The QPCMP is one of the key plans for implementing the system and components of land transport in Qatar. It is also an important part of the Qatar National Traffic Safety Strategy action plan.”

“The State of Qatar’s been witnessing an unprecedented economic growth and significant progress in all fields along the lines of the wise vision of the Emir HH Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani,” HE the Minister added in his opening speech.

He said transportation with all its sectors and components is the main and most important element for a robust economic development, adding that the economic growth cannot be achieved without an integrated, efficient transportation system.

He explained that QPCMP includes concept designs for 50 crosswalk locations selected based on preferences of the public and it includes 26 pedestrian overpasses and underpasses and 24 crosswalks on roads that cover all key intersections and sites and the sites that are nearest to roads, and they are easy to access and will encourage people to walk.

For this to be done, he said, a Pedestrian Crossings Manual was developed covering all types of crossings to ensure their compatibility with Qatar’s endorsed standards and guidelines, and a Pedestrian Environment Review System (PERS), which will provide a systematic process designed especially for Qatar in order to assess crosswalks within an objective framework, thus saving lives and properties.

In his presentation on the QPCMP, the Assistant Undersecretary of Land Transport Affairs at MoTC Mr. Rashid Taleb Al-Nabet said QPCMP is a key component of Qatar’s integrated transportation system and a great progress has been made in this regard along the lines of the Qatar National Vision 2030.

QPCMP, he said, is an integrated, comprehensive plan that takes into consideration the rights of all users of the road, including motorists, pedestrians, bicyclists and peoples with disabilities. It helps save lives and protect properties through reducing road traffic fatalities, he added.

According to Mr. Al-Nabet, QPCMP would contribute to safer pedestrian mobility and help provide an enabling environment to encourage people to walk, thus improving public health and preserving the environment.

He pointed out that QPCMP has three main pedestrian crossing themes; standard, conventional and modern, in addition to the unique themes and the unique locations such as Doha Grand Park and Aspire Zone where uniquely-designed pedestrian bridges will be constructed to become landmarks for the capital city of Doha.