Abu Dhabi: Nearly five children have been killed and 80 injured while travelling to and from school between 2007 and 2010, senior road safety officials announced in the capital on Tuesday.
Maximum speed limits in all school areas in Abu Dhabi city will therefore be reduced from 40 km/h to 30 km/h, officials at the Municipality of Abu Dhabi City said.
The measure, which is part of a five-year strategy to reduce school travel-related injuries and crashes, will also see orange road markings to signal gateways into school areas.
"The orange road markings will be high-friction areas of the road, signalling to the driver that he is entering a school area. In addition, speed bumps will be set up to encourage motorists to reduce speeds, while raised crossing tables will allow pedestrians to cross roads in school zones safely," Mohammad Abdul Qader Al Shateri, senior project manager for internal roads and infrastructure at the Municipality, told Gulf News.
Currently, there are 127 schools in the capital, which enroll nearly 107,000 students between them. Of these institutions, 31 schools enroll more than 1,000 pupils each.
Traffic congestion
"Road safety has so far been limited in these school zones. Motorists tend to speed, and there is a lot of congestion in the hours when children are picked up or dropped off," Al Shateri said.
Nearly 50 per cent of schoolchildren in the capital make use of private vehicles when travelling to and from school, Abdullah Saeed Al Shamsi, executive director of municipal assets and infrastructure at the Municipality, said.
"To combat this congestion around school campuses, the Municipality will also designate pick-up and drop-off areas around schools. In these special areas, roads will be widened so cars can queue up and move on smoothly without blocking too much of the road. More entrance roads to the school could also be created, depending on the needs of each school," he said.
In addition, improved road signs and markings will also be created in school zones.
The five-year plan will be implemented first near The British School — Al Khubairat in Mushrif area and around Al Bateen School in Al Bateen area. The implementation is based on a two-year road risk assessment pilot study by the Municipality that wrapped up in the capital earlier this year.
Road improvements
"Each year, we will undertake the improvement of roads around 30 schools in the capital. On the other hand, new schools that are constructed will already be built with these road safety measures in place," Al Shamsi said.
Municipal officials will also work with school authorities to create awareness among parents, schoolchildren and staff members about staying safe on roads.
