Abu Dhabi: Roads across the capital will soon incorporate mid-block pedestrian crossings in an effort to reduce traffic fatalities.
In addition, the widths of future streets will also be reduced so that speeding is discouraged while still allowing smooth traffic flow.
The steps were undertaken after a 2,700km road network survey by the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City in the past year revealed that the lack of mid-block crossings was a key reason for road deaths, Abdullah Saeed Sultan Al Shamsi, executive director of municipal assets and infrastructure at the municipality, Monday told Gulf News.
‘New roadways'
"Including such crossings in street design is already mandated by the Urban Planning Council's (UPC) Urban Street Design Manual, and new roadways are being built based on these guidelines. In addition, the retrofitting and maintenance of existing roads will ensure that mid-block crossings are built into them as well," Al Shamsi said. The official was speaking on the sidelines of the third Road Safety Seminar in the capital.
According to statistics, the UAE has the third highest rate of road crashes worldwide. In addition, 42 per cent of all crashes occur on the roads of Abu Dhabi emirate, although only 30 per cent of the UAE population lives in the emirate.
"The project to build mid-block crossings is already underway, and they will soon be visible in the Tourist Club Area, as well as on busy roads like Hamdan Street, Dalma Street and Najda Street," Al Shamsi said.
Streets to be upgraded
A major new infrastructure project is set to upgrade Bainounah Street (34th street) within the next few years, a senior official at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City told Gulf News.
Internal roads in the suburbs will also be overhauled in the next year, Abdullah Saeed Sultan Al Shamsi, executive directors of municipal assets and infrastructure at the municipality, told Gulf News.
"The Department of Transport is working to upgrade Bainounah Street, especially as its surrounding areas have been growing rapidly with the development of new hotels and venues," Al Shamsi said.
Key causes of crashes
- 15.6% of crashes due to lack of attention to the road
- 10.8% of crashes because pedestrians were not prioritised by motorists
- 10% of crashes due to neglect of road conditions
- 9.5% of crashes because motorists did not maintain enough space between vehicles
Abu Dhabi Municipality said Al Muroor Road and Airport Road see the highest number of fatalities in the capital city
Major infrastructure project to upgrade Bainounah Street
A major new infrastructure project is set to upgrade Bainounah Street (34th street) in the capital within the next few years, a senior official at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City told Gulf News.
Internal roads in capital city's suburbs will also be overhauled in the next year, Abdulla Saeed Sultan Al Shamsi, executive directors of municipal assets and infrastructure at the municipality, told Gulf News.
"The Department of Transport is working to upgrade Bainounah Street, especially as its surrounding areas have been growing rapidly with the development of new hotels and venues," Al Shamsi said.
"We are also focussing on landscaping and maintaining streets in the residential districts within Al Rahba, Shahama, Al Samha and Shamkha areas," he added.
Within the capital city, the focus next year will be on landscaping Al Salam Street.
"Since Al Salam's surface roads will have been opened to vehicular traffic by 2012, we will work to include greenery, pedestrian shades and street furniture," the official added.
