Sharjah: An upgraded version of Sharjah Traffic Police’s radars will soon detect motorists who speed between radars. The radars will calculate the average speed of a vehicle between two speed cameras.
Average speed control, also called ‘section control’ or ‘point-to-point control’, is a relatively new speed enforcement technique. The system measures the average speed of a vehicle over a section of road. The vehicle is identified when entering the enforcement section and when leaving it. The average speed can be calculated based on the time interval between these two points.
Major Khalid Al Kay, deputy director of Sharjah Traffic Police, said the system will be used to monitor high-risk stretches of roads where speed-related accidents are a cause of deaths or serious injuries. It will be used on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road in order to reduce accidents.
Maj Al Kay said, “This enforcement solution has been proven to be very effective. It has been noticed around the world that average speed enforcement improves driver behaviour, which noticeably reduces traffic accident deaths and serious injuries.
“As the vehicle’s speed is monitored throughout, speeding between cameras will no longer be an issue, which will ensure smoother traffic flow,” he noted.
The start of the radar operations has not been announced.
There are no plans to change speed limits on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed Road and Emirates Road in Sharjah. Lieutenant Saud Al Shaiba, director of Traffic Awareness at Sharjah Traffic Department, said there will be no reduction in speed limits on these roads in the Sharjah stretch.
The current speed limit on both these roads is 120km/h, with the radar set to flash at speeds of 141km/h or above.
He said the department is currently studying the traffic situation on streets in the emirate in general, and recommendations to change speed limits wherever deemed necessary will be escalated to the federal authority.
Earlier, the Dubai Police and Roads and Transport Authority announced that speed limits on Shaikh Mohammad Bin Zayed and Emirates roads will be reduced from 120km/h to 110km/h starting October 15.
