Dubai: The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has adjused traffic lights across all busy areas to react to varying demands, which will ensure smooth flow of vehicles.
Variable traffic information signs will be placed around parks and malls to inform people about directions, parking and traffic situations. The RTA is coordinating with Dubai Police and Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment, which is hosting various events across the city, to deal with traffic jams.
Police will divert traffic to alternative routes in case of congestion around Downtown Dubai and other busy locations. Motorists will be indicated about alternative arrangements through variable traffic signs.
Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, Commander Chief of Dubai Police, said police was ready for any emergency during the holidays. However, he urged people to take necessary precautions while driving on the roads, and on beaches and in the desert.
Za’abeel Park, Creek Park, Deira City Centre, Dubai Mall, Al Seef Road, Heritage Village and Dubai Festival City are expected to see huge number of visitors. Motorists are advised to keep an eye on signs and follow directions shown by the variable information boards, said Hussain Al Banna, Director of Traffic at RTA’s Roads and Traffic Agency.
Police patrols in both Deira and Bur Dubai have been beefed up, with 25 patrols each working round the clock on either side of the city, in addition to 20 motorcyle patrols.
With the whole of Dubai expected to converge to Downtown Dubai area there will be ten traffic police patrols and five police men in each shift around Dubai Mall and Burj Khalifa.
In Abu Dhabi additional traffic police and patrols will monitor areas with malls and other key tourist destinations in the emirate to prevent traffic congestion. The police have also set in place a plan to ensure that traffic flows smoothly in the emirate during the holiday period, said Lieutenant Colonel Mohammad Rashid Al Shamsi, Director of Traffic Control at the Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrols Directorate.
The Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrols Directorate has urged parents to take measures to avoid road injuries and car accidents.
This includes reducing speed, wearing seat belts, refraining from texting and using mobile phones while driving.
Sharjah Police have put elaborate preparations in place to ensure the Eid holidays are incident-free. Police urged parents not to allow their children go to the beaches, and called upon parents to ensure their children didn’t indulge in reckless behaviour such as using banned firecrackers and explosives that could cause harm to themselves and to others.
To ensure a smooth flow of traffic, police patrols will be deployed at popular internal roads and highways in Sharjah, Kalba and Khor Fakkan.
In Ajman, police have deployed 25 traffic patrols and inspectors to ensure smooth traffic. Colonel Rashid Jassim Jalaf, Director General of Ajman police Operations Room, said the patrols would be monitoring roads around the clock to pre-empt reckless driving.
In Umm Al Quwain, patrols will be deployed in the early hours of Eid to ensure road safety, Lieutenant Colonel Saeed Bin Aran, Director of Traffic and Patrol Department at Umm Al Quwain police said.
Brigadier Abdullah Khamis Al Hadidi, Director-General of Police Operations Command at Ras Al Khaimah Police, said police are cracking down on the sale of firecrackers in the emirate and have also drawn up a security plan to increase patrols on the roads.
Brigadier Mohammad AhmadBin Ghanim Al Kaabi, Commander-in-Chief of the Fujairah Police, said all police stations in the emirate are well prepared to cope with the Eid rush, and urged motorists to drive cautiously on roads running through mountainous areas and wadis.
By Shafaat Shahbandari, Nada AlTaher, Aghaddir Ali and Bassma Al Jandaly, Gulf News
