Every day you drive on Kuwait's roads, most of your focus is on the cars around you. You drive your car cautiously from the mad speed of many of the drivers as well as those driving at the speed of turtles. You rarely notice the pedestrian bridges and their design and those who walk on them.

Pedestrian bridges have been developed to reduce run-over accidents. However, some may note the insistence of pedestrians on the peril of cutting across roads in front of speeding cars, only meters away from the site of a bridge. In another case, passers-by still have to cross the street for distance or difficult access, either because of road constructions currently taking place, or because of the fact that they are built in the wrong place.

A number of pedestrian bridges are being built on Highway 50 to the airport. Which is a suicidal route for the great number of those crossing the road on foot and the speed of motor vehicles. The pedestrians did not believe this news, as they started out to climb the bridges that are being built, although they are still under construction, which poses a threat to their lives. On the other hand, the old bridges on the main roads, we do not know how safe these are to cross. We did not see periodic maintenance. As Kuwait Times discovered during its tour, there is a gap in the middle of a bridge on the Fahaheel highway.

Many people utilize the pedestrian 'skywalks' and bridges. There are more the you realize until you start driving around and looking for them.

Kuwait has developed a plan to develop and increase the number of pedestrian bridges in the past year. It is anticipated that 24 pedestrian bridges will be constructed in different areas of Kuwait with a total value of KD 7.250 million, in line with international safety and security conditions.

Photos by Athoob Al-Shuaibi

By Athoob Al-Shuaibi