My Two Cents

My letter to the editor was picked as the "Star Letter", given a colored background, boarder and photo making it 1/4 page in size! Now all I have to worry about is the Sharjah "Thought Police" tracking me down and deporting me. Ha... let them try and anyway, they have to find me first! maww haaa haaaa

Letter:
How are you supposed to find anything in Sharjah? Frequently secondary and tertiary roads aren't named. Blocks and buildings aren't numbered. Streets are irregular and chaotic in their design. Maps, as rare as hen's teeth, are outdated by the area's rapid growth before they are printed. Change and growth are good, but you can't run a large city like a village.

I struggle every time I have to tell a service provider, deliveryman or friend how to find my flat since I live in an unnumbered building on an unnamed street. Having your pizza delivery man drive around lost for 40 minutes may be upsetting, but what if it were an ambulance responding to a life threatening situation? God forbid I should ever need police, ambulance or fire fighters. It worries me that they would lose valuable time being lost in the maze.

What is being done to correct this public hazard before a major tragedy occurs? What would happen if a school full of children caught fire or there was a gas explosion in a crowded apartment building? Could aid reach them in the quickest possible time? I seriously doubt it.

Please use your paper to address some of the glaring inadequacies in city planning that threaten the safety and well being of all.

I can't provide an address as I don't have one.

CK
Sharjah