Our area which consists mostly of residential building has 6 schools and two hospitals nearby. The traffic situation can be busy in the mornings during school week and scary during off hours.
Ped Xing – means pedestrian crossing
Pedestrian – a person walking
LittleMiss C and I have been walking to and from school everyday since she started. Her nursery was just 5 minutes on foot from our old place and now the new school is just 10 minutes walk from our place. It’s convenient, healthy and economical to just walk specially during Dubai winter.
On our walks we have only seen 2 Ped Xing lines and notice a lack of road signs that inform drivers a school is present. With 6 schools in the area motorists will encounter parents with children walking and trying to cross the street. Most of the drivers respect pedestrians and take time to stop even if Ped Xing is not available, sadly some do not stop.
We need to cross 1 main road and 2 residential streets to get to school. On the main road a crossing line is available but sometimes it is much more convenient for us two cross between two bus stops. In the morning when the road is congested with cars and we are crossing with fellow pedestrians, it is less scary to cross without Ped Xing. In the afternoon though we only use Ped Xing, crossing the street during this time is scary and most motorists don’t care that you are walking with kid.
Where and how will people cross the street safely when a pedestrian foot bridge or lines are not available?
As a parent and commuter I would like to request the following:
A Ped Xing available between two bus stops.
A shaded foot bridge for students walking to and from school.
or A traffic enforcer present to assist students walking to and from school.
More road signs to inform motorists that school is in the area.
Cuddles and Crumbs 
Yes please!! we definitely need this.
We do! Having ped xing available will encourage people to walk.
I would like to request for sidewalks as well! So many times, I’ve had to push a stroller on the main street because there was no pedestrian walkway.
Yes! I forgot the need for sidewalk as well.
Great post! I totally agree it can get pretty scary walking on the streets with little ones.
There are many places where I feel we could do with more crossings and signs too. Good point!
lets hope the authorities get in on this and consider resident safety and convenience. 🙂
I couldn’t agree more, the safety aspect holds strong in every one’s mind and hopefully action should be taken on this
the roads are a very dangerous place to be with a pram, shocking.
Car is still king here with little respect for pedestrians. I will never forget a car reversing from an illegal parking space onto a zebra crossing outside my children’s junior school during peak crossing time. Thank goodness no one was hurt. Very encouraged to see a sign for #dubaicarfreeday which is on 21st Feb. Hopefully the balance will be redressed.
That’s scary! I once found myself screaming when a car decided to suddenly cut my son’s school bus with a clear Stop sign, nanny almost got hit.
I could not agree more. Cars are king here in UAE and we definitely need more pedestrian. Hope government take some action on it x
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