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

  • March 15, 2012
    Study finds speed cameras cut fatal accidents
    In the first study of its kind in Qatar, researchers at Weill Cornell Medical College in Doha (WCMC-Q) have found a dramatic decrease in fatal motor injuries following the deployment of speed cameras. The research – Motor vehicle injuries in Qatar: time trends in a rapidly developing Middle Eastern nation – has been published in the peer-reviewed British medical journal, Injury Prevention. Most speed cameras in Qatar were installed during 2007, giving researchers the opportunity to examine injury rates befo
  • November 9, 2012
    US ushers in reforms with new transportation bill
    On behalf of ITS America, Paul Feenstra maps out implications and opportunities for the ITS industry. A critical milestone was reached last month when the US Congress passed, and President Obama signed, legislation reauthorising the nation’s surface transportation programmes, breaking a nearly three-year log-jam which had stymied critical transportation reforms and delayed much-needed infrastructure projects. The law, numbered P.L. 112-141 but known as MAP-21 (Moving Ahead for Progress in the 21st Century),
  • December 18, 2024
    Huawei opens door to new opportunities in transport & logistics
    By addressing the four key elements of a transportation network’s composition with a state-of-the-art digital solution, Huawei is bringing significant performance uplifts to all aspects of railway operations
  • April 9, 2014
    ITS homes in on cycling safety
    A new generation of ITS equipment is helping road authorities get to grips with cycle safety – and not a moment too soon as Colin Sowman discovers. Cyclists - remember them? Apparently not. At least not according to the OECD 2013 report Cycling, Health and Safety which contains the statement: ‘Cyclists are often forgotten in the design of the road traffic system’. Looking through the statistics that exist (each country appears to compile them differently) it is not difficult to see how such a conclusion cou