The National Traffic Safety Committee recently organised the sixth Forum of the Stakeholder Coordinators for the National Road Safety Strategy at Intercontinental Doha the City, to discuss the second phase of implementation of the National Strategy for Traffic Safety (2018-2022). The forum, titled ‘Accomplishment of Goals’ was aimed to enhance the role of stakeholders in the implementation of the strategy.

The forum coincided with the completion of five important years in the implementation of the first phase. Brigadier Mohamed Saad Al Kharji, Second Vice President of the National Traffic Safety Committee and Director General of Traffic Department, pointed out that the implementation of the second phase of the strategy requires extraordinary efforts, cooperation from all sides and unparalleled implementation mechanism to address traffic problems and to achieve the 2022 goals with high efficiency.

He said that the first phase of the implementation (2013-2017) resulted in the decrease in mortality rate in 2017 to 177 cases, or an average of 6.6 cases per hundred thousand people. This is also an indicator of progress achieved by the State of Qatar in reducing fatal road accidents.

Plans for the second phase aim to reduce the number of deaths due to traffic accidents by 2022 to 130 annually and to reduce the number of serious injuries to 400. The second phase also aims to achieve the goals set by the United Nations for sustainable development.

Secretary of the National  Traffic Safety Committee Brigadier Engineer Mohammed Abdullah Al Maliki said they want to put Qatar at the forefront of the region’s most advanced countries, with an integrated transport system following its national vision.

This system included policies and plans, evaluation of traffic problems and proposed solutions, theoretical and technical consultations  with authorities, in addition to strengthening coordination with various stakeholders.

Stakeholders

Engineer Yousef Al Emadi, Director of the Highways Department at the Ashghal, said that the Public Works Authority started a new era in implementing its projects and achieving its vision in line with Qatar National Vision 2030. He said that Ashghal aims to enhance the objectives of the National Traffic Safety Committee and the National Traffic Safety Office by providing ‘extensive’ logistical support and implementing plans that were entrusted them.

He reported that the Department of Maintenance completed 36 projects from 2014 to 2017 – including 371 bicycle tracks. They aim to complete 1,543 kilometres of road works and 2,000 km of footpaths, in addition to 1,028 km of bicycle tracks.

Dr Sheikh Mohammed bin Hamad Al Thani, Director of the Public Health Department at the Ministry of Public Health and a member of the National Traffic Safety Committee, also assured the forum that their 24/7 emergency care services has reduced the incidence of disabilities due to accidents via Qatar Rehabilitation Centre, the largest specialised hospital of its kind in the region

Rashed Taleb Al Nabit, Assistant Undersecretary for Land Transport Affairs at the Ministry of Transport and Communications, said that they started working to link the different means of transportation in the country.

Professor Kim Jraiw, Manager of the National Road Safety Office, emphasised the importance of cooperation between government institutions, the private sector, civil society organizations and all sectors of the society in order to make great, sustainable and unprecedented efforts. He also urged the forum to move away from traditional operational practices and to adopt effective initiatives to achieve the desired goals.

For more information about the National Road Safety Strategy, visit the Ministry of Information website at moi.gov.qa.