Many motorists have been caught unawares by the sudden closure of roads and opening of new diversions across the city. To avoid such troubles, authorities plan to keep them informed about traffic changes by sending text messages to their mobile phones.

This is among new initiatives being implemented by the special committee dealing with traffic congestions, at the Public Works Authority (Ashghal).

Engineer Yousuf Al Emadi, Chairman of the committee, told an Arabic daily that Ashghal and the Traffic Department are relying on newspapers and social media to inform the public about road closures and diversions, besides installing warning signs using Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS).

"We are planning to use SMS to inform people daily about traffic changes, in addition to ITS," he said in an interview with Al Watan.

Al Emadi said the panel had identified 25 sites to build pedestrian bridges considering the high number of casualties in these areas involving people crossing the roads.

These include Suhaim bin Hamad Street, Qarnata Street, and south Medinath Khalifa and Industrial Area roads. "We will soon invite tenders to develop designs for the bridges and implement the project," said Al Emadi.

He said the committee, tasked to identify traffic hotspots and implement solutions, has been facing difficulties due to massive road projects, including new tunnels, bridges and highways. [The Peninsula]