Locating embassies in the sprawling West Bay area is a tedious task due to the absence of proper direction panels and signboards, complain residents.
Many people have come forward with suggestions - while speaking to Gulf Times as well as through letters to the editor - to make the process of finding embassies easier for people visiting the neighbourhood.
Qatar is reportedly home to over 130 diplomatic missions and more than 175 nationalities, according to information released by a government agency. A majority of the embassies are located in West Bay.
Elaborating on the problems faced by residents, an entrepreneur who travels abroad frequently for business said: “Even those repeatedly visiting the area find it difficult to reach the embassies in West Bay. Understandably, the situation is worse for first-timers.”
Another Doha resident said even if one followed the route maps provided by some of the embassies, there was every possibility that the visitor would face problems due to the presence of several bylanes in the neighbourhood. These were usually overlooked by the route maps.
“Recently, I had to go to the newly-opened embassy of a Latin American country. I took directions over phone from a friend who had already reached the embassy,” said a resident, recalling his experience. “He told me that the mission was located in front of the embassy of a European country. I reached the said embassy, but could not find the place I was looking for. When I contacted my friend again, he insisted that he was waiting for me outside the said European nation’s embassy. When I finally reached the place with much difficulty, I came to know that the building my friend had referred to was actually the official residence of the European nation’s ambassador, and not the embassy.”
Such confusion could be avoided if direction boards providing accurate information were put up across West Bay, he suggested.
A common sight in the area is that of people desperately trying to locate embassies while travelling in taxis. Taxi operators claim that they familiarise drivers with roads across the country, but it is often seen that the cabbies are clueless when it comes to locating embassies in West Bay.
The task of finding an embassy is even more difficult for first-timers, particularly because the streets and lanes wear a near-deserted look and there is nobody to give directions. One can hardly find a pedestrian or shop in the neighbourhood.
A photographer said he made three unsuccessful visits to West Bay to locate an embassy that recently moved to a new building there from near the Rainbow Roundabout. “I often spend at least 20-30 minutes on the deserted roads seeking directions to embassies.”
It was also found that while policemen posted in West Bay to provide security to diplomatic missions were generally helpful, even they could not give directions to embassies where they had not worked before.
“Instead of installing direction panels at just one or two places in West Bay, the local authorities should consider putting up mini signboards, preferably with images of the national flags of the embassies concerned, along the route,” said a Doha resident who recalled seeing similar signboards in an Asean country.
The need to hold road familiarisation programmes for taxi drivers at regular intervals was highlighted by some residents. “I have helped at least six cabbies locate some of the embassies, including those in West Bay, in recent months. Among them was a driver who was taking two passengers to the residence of a European country’s ambassador, opposite Doha Exhibition Centre, instead of the embassy they were looking for in Fariq Bin Omran,” said a regular visitor to West Bay.
As part of their training, he suggested, the taxi drivers should also be given charts featuring images of the national flags of
all countries.
