Nowadays, due to technological advancement-related price reductions and a rise in the overall well-being of the population, a higher number of people can afford to purchase automobiles. However, as more individuals own cars, the traffic congestion becomes harder to manage. Doha, as a fast developing city, could also not avoid that problem as most roads are constantly busy. In order to solve traffic-related issues, the reasons that caused them should be analyzed first.
The first reason includes Doha managers’ ineffective actions towards controlling citizens’ appetites. Although the government seeks to make public transportation more available, it does not seem to discourage people from using and buying cars. On the other hand, blindly following the citizens’ demands and building more roads can also be devastating for the city and country due to environmental issues. Indeed, Qatar is considered to emit more carbon dioxide than any other country in the world (Kanso, 2019). Therefore, decision-makers should reconsider their approach of stimulating less car usage.
Road closures due to construction are the second reason for the bad traffic situation in the city. The blockade of the roads and constant circulation of construction machinery add to the congestion issues. Waze maps, for instance, can provide information on current traffic conditions in Doha. There it can be seen that many streets are closed for road construction, and some of them would only open four or five months from now.
The third reason includes citizens’ lack of traffic culture. That causes a vast number of car accidents on the roads with further congestion. In 2013 the government of Qatar started an educational program for drivers, but the main obstacle that they faced is people’s low digital literacy. Moreover, the lack of control on the roads from police officers and vehicle speed tracing systems makes it easier to break the rules.
In summary, the current essay provided a discussion on the reasons behind the traffic jam problem in Doha. They included, firstly, ineffective control of people’s ability to purchase and usage of the cars. As a result, the number of vehicles continues to grow rapidly. Secondly, road closures for construction purposes are very common. It was found that some of the roads can be closed for up to five months. Finally, bad traffic culture and lack of police control are associated with more accidents and, thus, more congestion.
Reference
Kanso, H. (2019). Can Qatar’s low-carbon city show a greener Middle East future? Reuters. Web.