After an accident left four people dead and two injured at Al Ghanim bus terminal, authorities are making efforts to make the place safer for commuters.

A second row of concrete barriers has been installed at the station between the passengers' waiting area and the stopping points of buses.

The temporary barricades as well as signs that display route maps carry notices warning commuters not to cross over the dividers.

"Stay behind the barrier... Your safety is our concern" read the notices.

The additional safety measures have been taken after the recent incident in which a bus reportedly accelerated as it approached the stop area, hit the barrier and the waiting shed and came to a halt after crashing into two taxis in a neighbouring parking lot.

The new barricades and the warning notices, however, have not made people more cautious. Some commuters were seen crossing over the barriers and waiting for their buses close to the stopping points, as was the case in the past.

The new safety measures work in the evening rush hours when two or three Karwa officials are deployed to monitor the terminal. They ensure that passengers stay behind the concrete barriers and ask them not to walk unnecessarily inside the bus terminal. The officials also make sure that all safety measures for commuters are in place.

The recent accident was the second in less than two years. In a similar accident last year, a driver lost control of a bus and hit several passengers, leaving at least four seriously injured.

"That was the time when the authorities responded by putting the first row of concrete barriers," said a taxi driver who has been working in the area for two years. "Now, they have put another. But even if they add a third row it will not be enough to stop a 50-ton bus running into passengers if such an accident happens again," he added.

A commuter waiting at the terminal said that the authorities could easily solve the problem if they reduced crowding at the bus station, especially on Thursdays and Fridays.

"They should set up more stations in other areas instead of having all the buses in one terminal with a lot of congestion," he said.

People point out that the bus station, though located in the heart of the city, is too small to accommodate all the buses plying to different parts of the country. Commuters also want the authorities to provide separate toilets for men and women.

"There are no toilets for women. The few toilets for men are dirty and stinking due to lack of proper cleaning," said an expatriate who didn't want his name in print. "They should take care of both safety and hygiene," he added. [The Peninsula]