UAE | Traffic and Transport

New signs give more road guidance

Motorists must pay more attention to electronic roads signs to avoid accidents and be updated on the condition of the roads they use, an official from the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority said.

  • By Ashfaq Ahmed, Chief Reporter
  • Published: 01:26 February 17, 2008
  • Gulf News

Dubai: Motorists must pay more attention to electronic roads signs to avoid accidents and be updated on the condition of the roads they use, an official from the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority said.

The Variable Message Signs (VMS) are operated as part of the Intelligent Traffic System (ITS) and they provide information and guidance on road conditions. These include road works, warnings, delays, speed limits, bad conditions, congested roads, accidents, blocked roads and other guidance necessary for alerting drivers.

The messages, which are illustrated in text and graphic formats, provide motorists and other road users with important information about the condition of traffic on key roads, bridges, tunnels and crossings in the emirate of Dubai.

Maitha Obaid Bin Udai, chief executive officer of the RTA's Traffic and Roads Agency, said the RTA has completed installation and commissioning of 253 electronic signs, including 73 cautionary signs, displaying permissible speed limits, and 162 signs providing information about the condition of lanes.

"The RTA is considering expanding the ITS to cover all roads in the emirate of Dubai in the next five years," said Maitha. She said that the aim of the project is to direct drivers to choose the least congested routes. The signboards also display awareness messages to abide by traffic rules, prescribed speed limits and other directives necessary for maintaining safety of road users.

Automatic

Engineer Salah Al Marzouqi, Director of the ITS department, said the speed signs are operated automatically by traffic sensors programmed according to the maximum permissible speed limit at each road.

These systems detect the speed of vehicles on each lane and transmit this information to the control system. The signs are updated every minute automatically to alert motorists of the average speed of vehicles ahead.

The system also monitors traffic congestion on key roads and highways, computes magnitude and detects abnormal traffic flow, such as the conditions associated with traffic accidents, vehicle breakdown on the road, and congestion resulting from heavy traffic.

The system includes sensors capable of detecting traffic accidents on the spot. In case of an accident within the zones covered by the system, sensors will immediately detect a change in traffic flow and the nearest camera will automatically move to film the site of the accident or congestion, and send live images to the respective control centre.

Messages: Where they are

The Variable Message Signs (VMS) covers Shaikh Zayed Road, Al Khaleej Road, Emirates Road, Shaikh Rashid Road, Abu Baker Al Siddique Road, Al Ittihad Road, Al Mina Road, Baniyas Road, Al Maktoum Bridge, Al Garhoud Bridge, Airport Tunnel, Al Shindagha Tunnel and the Floating Bridge.

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