A long-running campaign to install plastic or rubber traffic poles along Galali Avenue has hit a fresh roadblock after the Cabinet sided with the Interior Ministry against the Muharraq Municipal Council’s recommendation.
Instead of installing flexible poles, rubber posts or a raised kerb, the ministry has recommended increased traffic monitoring and stricter enforcement at the accident-prone commercial street in Block 254.
Councillors, however, argue that physical separation measures are needed because vehicles are routinely parked outside shops while customers collect orders, causing obstructions and disrupting traffic in both directions.
The issue has long featured in correspondence between municipal and government authorities, with the council consistently pressing for its recommendation to be adopted.
Municipal Affairs Under-Secretary Shaikh Mohammed bin Ahmed Al Khalifa conveyed the Cabinet’s decision after it considered both the municipal council’s insistence on the recommendation and the Interior Ministry’s views. He said the decision was taken following consultation with the relevant authorities.
Shaikh Mohammed
The General Directorate of Traffic had previously maintained that installing poles alone would not address the root cause of the problem, citing the continued misuse of public roads and reckless parking.
Director-General Major General Shaikh Abdulrahman bin Abdulwahab Al Khalifa said officers have been instructed to conduct periodic patrols along the street and record violations.
Maj Gen Shaikh Abdulrahman
“The poles may not be coming, but the traffic police are,” Maj Gen Shaikh Abdulrahman stressed.
The decision means motorists who continue to park illegally or obstruct traffic on Galali Avenue could face enforcement action.
However, it’s still unclear what measures would be taken against violators.
The GDN earlier reported that the council had called for the installation of plastic or rubber poles – or alternatively a kerb – to create a physical barrier between the two directions of traffic in an effort to improve safety for pedestrians and motorists alike.
Its services and public utilities committee said the road was particularly vulnerable to congestion due to the concentration of shops on both sides and vehicles stopping or parking while customers place or collect orders.
Muharraq Municipal Council vice-chairman and area councillor Saleh Buhazaa said the objective was simple: to keep traffic moving and improve safety along the busy commercial road.
Saleh Buhazaa
“We are not seeking to obstruct businesses or motorists. The recommendation is intended to prevent vehicles from stopping in a way that blocks one direction of traffic and creates dangerous situations,” he said.
Mr Buhazaa added that the council had repeatedly raised the issue because the problem persisted despite earlier attempts to address it.
With the installation of physical barriers ruled out for now, residents, shopkeepers and motorists will be watching closely to see whether increased traffic enforcement delivers the improvements the council has long sought.
mohammed@gdnmedia.bh
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