HE the Minister of Transport Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti (right) launching Qatar Road Manual late on Monday as HE the Minister of Finance Ali Sherif al-Emadi and Traffic Department Director General Mohamed Saad al-Kharji look on.
PICTURE: Noushad Thekkayil

By Ramesh Mathew/Staff Reporter

The Ministry of Transport (MoT) has updated the Qatar Highway Design Manual, and Qatar Traffic Manual, in co-operation with key partners, taking into account the latest developments in technology and global best practices.
Formally releasing the manuals at an event on Monday night, HE the Minister of Transport Jassim Seif Ahmed al-Sulaiti stressed the necessity and importance of upgrading the country's land transport infrastructure to comply with the globally acclaimed standards in health, safety and environment.
The two manuals were prepared by officials of the MoT, jointly with their counterparts from Ministry of Municipality and Urban Planning, Ministry of Interior (MoI) and Ashghal.
“This project was meant to review regional international standards and update the existing manuals accordingly to meet the needs of a rapidly developing Qatar,” HE al-Sulaiti explained in his address.
The Minister hoped the manuals would help the residents not only improve their road awareness but would also enhance their safety on the country's highways, other main roads and the inner roads.
HE al-Sulaiti hailed the vision and directives of HH the Emir Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad al-Thani and HE the Prime Minister and Interior Minister Sheikh Abdullah bin Nasser bin Khalifa al-Thani to improve the safety of the country's road users.
“The two manuals demonstrate the keenness of the country in finding effective solutions to meet international standards in road safety,” he said.
Highlighting the necessity of road designers and engineering teams to adopt unified standards while executing projects, the Minister said the two manuals would go a long way in helping to plan and execute projects in such a way that they would meet international standards even while complying with the local needs and requirements.
While complimenting the teams that prepared the manuals, the minister said they had made detailed studies and extensive researches over several months and experimented with different options before arriving at the best possible scientifically-tested solutions.
Earlier at the event, it was announced that the updates of the latest manuals were one of the major initiatives made in Qatar to ensure the best use of standardised applications in all related roadway design projects.
Speaking about the manuals, MoT's Land Transport Development director Rashid al-Nabit said the teams considered both the strengths and weaknesses of the previous manuals for highway designing and traffic control.
The team members also reviewed regional and international standards while updating the manuals to meeting the growing needs and requirements of a fast developing economy as Qatar, said al-Nabit.
The manuals, according to the official, will provide a clear set of guidelines for the roads designers and users. While following the guidelines they could learn from different experiments and practices adopted in designing different projects and highway operations.
Insisting that the teams which prepared the manuals have taken into account the latest developments in road technology and globally acclaimed practices, the ministry official said in future both the country's residents and visitors are expected to benefit considerably from the improvements in the road infrastructure across the state.
"The improvements in road designs will help improve the road users' safety and enhance their road visibility in line with the growing requirements of the country's residents," added al-Nabit.
The updated Qatar Highway Manual will cover all aspects of highway design, including pavements, intersections, junction layouts, drainage, street lights and facilities for pedestrians.
The Qatar Traffic Control Manual will focus on areas associating with traffic signs, traffic lights, information systems and road markings among others.