GAM hurries to paint crossing lines, add traffic signs before new traffic law enters effect

AMMAN — With less than one week until the new traffic law enters into effect, the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has announced that it is revamping the capital’s streets by painting crossing lines and adding traffic signs to alert motorists of the pedestrian crossing areas.

“Our specialised teams are examining the bridges and tunnels and repainting crossing areas in order to alert motorists,” GAM spokesperson Nasser Rahamneh told The Jordan Times on Wednesday.

Rahamneh added that GAM teams are installing pedestrian signs near traffic lights, and are ensuring that crossing request buttons are functioning well.

The amended Traffic Law, which was endorsed by a Royal Decree and published in the official Gazette will enter into effect on September 12.

One of the clauses of the new law stipulates that a motorist will not face legal consequences if he or she hits a pedestrian who fails to cross a street using the designated crossing areas. 

This clause did not exist in the old law.

Last year, 203 pedestrians were killed by cars, according to traffic officials.

President of the Jordanian Society for the Prevention of Road Accidents, Wafai Mseis, told The Jordan Times that GAM’s step is important, “but I do not believe that the law could be applied well in the beginning of its application”.

“I do not believe that we have enough tunnels and bridges spread across the capital’s streets for pedestrians to use,” Mseis explained.

In addition, Mseis stated that many streets are “not painted with crossing lines, and this needs a lot of effort to be able to cover all the streets”.

According to Mseis, this is why “the law will be hard to be applied at this point in time because it will need a huge effort by GAM and other government entities to adopt the necessary infrastructure measures to secure the success of this process”.

Former traffic officials and experts praised the newly endorsed traffic law, saying that it will work to reduce accidents and fatalities, and will alter reckless driving behaviours and bad habits.

Interior Minister Mazen Faraya recently revealed that the ministry recorded 169,000 road accidents last year, which resulted in 562 deaths and 17,096 injuries.

The minister also shared data from this year, saying that from January through July, there were 27,383 deaths and 6,331 injuries due to road accidents reported. 

Authorities recorded tens of thousands of offences last year, including running red lights, driving against the flow of traffic and reckless driving, Faraya added.