Reduced speed limit in Abu Dhabi: All you need to know

Abu Dhabi: From today onwards, the speed limit is set to 100 kilometres per hour on Abu Dhabi’s Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Street, down from 120 kilometres per hour.

The reduced speed limit applies in both directions to a particularly busy stretch of the highway, from Sheikh Zayed Bridge until the Qasr Al Bahr intersection, just off Delma Park.

Abu Dhabi Police announced the reduction over the weekend, adding that the decision aims to enhance traffic safety. Accordingly, radars will record driving over 100 kilometres per hour on that stretch of the road - which extends for roughly about 12 to 13 kilometres - as a traffic violation.

No grace speed limit

Speed signs along the street have been updated to reflect the new speed limit. Motorists should also note that there is no grace speed allowance in Abu Dhabi, meaning that driving even one kilometre per hour more than the speed designated on road signs in the emirate can earn a traffic violation.

Busiest roads

The Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Street is one of the busiest thoroughfares in the capital city, and extends from Sheikh Zayed Bridge until the Abu Dhabi Corniche and Zayed Port. Composed of multiple bridges and tunnels and built at a cost of Dh5 billion, it was first opened to vehicular traffic in 2012. It helped cut travel time from one end of Abu Dhabi island to the other to just 15 minutes.

Sheikh Zayed Bridge

Sheikh Zayed Bridge, a key bridge along the street, was itself built at a cost of Dh1 billion and features arches in the shape of sand dunes. It is the fourth bridge connecting Abu Dhabi island to the mainland. Like the other three bridges, motorists now have to pay a Dh4 toll to use the bridge during peak hours. It was first opened in 2010 by the late Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Al Nahyan, former UAE President, and late Queen Elizabeth II.