Skip to main content

Transport safety in Qatar – ‘taking a long-term view’ says report

A report by the International Quality and Productivity Centre (IQPC) says that, while the country is well on its way to implementing programmes aimed at improving road safety, it appears to have taken a long-term view of its needs and is planning for a system which can expand to meet future demand. According to Transport Safety in Qatar: Outlook and Possibilities, the Qatari Government has implemented a series of initiatives and intelligent transport systems (ITS) around Qatar, in line with its Qatar Nat
May 23, 2016 Read time: 2 mins
A report by the International Quality and Productivity Centre (IQPC) says that, while the country is well on its way to implementing programmes aimed at improving road safety, it appears to have taken a long-term view of its needs and is planning for a system which can expand to meet future demand.

According to Transport Safety in Qatar: Outlook and Possibilities, the Qatari Government has implemented a series of initiatives and intelligent transport systems (ITS) around Qatar, in line with its Qatar National Vision 2020, to improve road safety and surface transport effectiveness. These include: infrastructure projects aimed at reducing congestion and helping to cope with Qatar’s increasing number of vehicles; a real time traffic data collection and integration system; a traffic signal control room; and traffic signal pre-emption for emergency vehicles.

The report looks at four aspects of road safety policies: urban and transport planning, vehicles, traffic management, roads and infrastructure.

It discusses the new technologies available to improve road safety, such as anti-lock braking systems, driver alertness detection systems and vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure communication, along with the introduction of laws to mandate seat belt use for front seat passengers and drivers. The report claims that the country’s traffic department does not have the resources to control traffic congestion or police law-breaking motorists, although the country is moving to increase the number of officers by the end of 2016.

Qatar is investing substantially to create a world-class, integrated, surface transport system, while new and enhanced highways and roads, complemented by the Doha Metro and Lusail light rail projects, should reduce reliance on private cars, and help increase safety.

Related Content

  • Nairobi looks to ITS to ease travel problems
    March 6, 2018
    Shem Oirere looks at plans to tackle chronic congestion in the Kenyan capital - where commuters can typically expect it to take up to two hours to complete a 15km journey. Traffic jams in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, are estimated to cost the country $360 million a year in terms of lost man-hours, fuel and pollution. According to Wilfred Oginga, an engineer with the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), the congestion has been exacerbated by poor regulation and enforcement of traffic rules, absence of
  • Nairobi looks to ITS to ease travel problems
    March 6, 2018
    Shem Oirere looks at plans to tackle chronic congestion in the Kenyan capital - where commuters can typically expect it to take up to two hours to complete a 15km journey. Traffic jams in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, are estimated to cost the country $360 million a year in terms of lost man-hours, fuel and pollution. According to Wilfred Oginga, an engineer with the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), the congestion has been exacerbated by poor regulation and enforcement of traffic rules, absence of
  • Nairobi looks to ITS to ease travel problems
    March 6, 2018
    Shem Oirere looks at plans to tackle chronic congestion in the Kenyan capital - where commuters can typically expect it to take up to two hours to complete a 15km journey. Traffic jams in the Kenyan capital, Nairobi, are estimated to cost the country $360 million a year in terms of lost man-hours, fuel and pollution. According to Wilfred Oginga, an engineer with the Kenya Urban Roads Authority (KURA), the congestion has been exacerbated by poor regulation and enforcement of traffic rules, absence of
  • ACE report: private sector and user-pay for English roads
    May 16, 2018
    It’s one minute to midnight for funding England’s roads, according to a timely new report - and the clock’s big hand is pointing to some form of user-pay solution, reports David Arminas. Is there any way out of future user-pay funding for England’s highway infrastructure? The answer is a resounding ‘no’, according to the recently-published report Funding Roads for the Future. The 25-page document by the London-based Association for Consultancy and Engineering (ACE) calls for a radical rethink about how to