The newly established Jordanian Society for Pedestrian Rights (JSPR) is currently preparing two pilot projects that seek to raise awareness on pedestrian issues in the Kingdom, according to JSPR President Amer Bashir.

The 78-member society is planning to rehabilitate a 600-meter-long street in the Um Utheinah area of West Amman to set a prototype for pedestrian-friendly street standards that would be later applied at various locations throughout the Kingdom.

According to Bashir, the JSPR, in cooperation with the Greater Amman Municipality (GAM), will install speed bumps, traffic signs, pedestrian paths, pedestrian crossings, and other traffic safety mechanisms on the model street. Bashir said the society’s main goal is to arrive at a balance where pedestrians and vehicles can peacefully coexist on streets.

Source: [The Jordan Times]

I’m one of those that gave up on the idea of walking in Amman a long time ago. The city is simply not pedestrian-friendly. In addition to the poor urban planning, which puts the lives of pedestrians at risk, female pedestrians (a group to which I belong) rarely walk unaccompanied without being harassed and/or showered with sleazy comments. Will this JSPR make a difference? Maybe, but I think they need to start by changing people’s attitudes, which, in my opinion, is almost always a lose-lose situation.