Abu Dhabi municipality's reform plans are on track

Abu Dhabi: Abu Dhabi Municipality's policy to discourage sharing villas and apartments will continue, as sharing causes several problems in society, said Engineer Juma'a Mubarak Al Junaibi, General Manager of the Abu Dhabi Municipality.

In an exclusive interview with Gulf News, Al Junaibi talked about a number of burning issues affecting the residents and Abu Dhabi Municipality's programmes to improve standards of living.

He also detailed the new projects, and challenges and achievements of the municipality.

Gulf News: Following the strict action against illegal sharing in villas, demand for accommodation has increased. Will the municipality implement the 'one family in one villa rule' in Abu Dhabi which has already been done in Dubai?

Juma'a Mubarak Al Junaibi: We discourage the sharing of villas and apartments for the best interest of tenants. Although tenants can save some money, sharing accommodation minimises the quality of life.

Besides likely increase of crime, sanitation problems and transmission of diseases, crowding in a residential area delays rescue operations in the event of an accident like fire. The more crowded a living area, the greater the risk of accidents. Two recent fire accidents in illegal apartments on the roofs of some high rise buildings in the city proved this point.

We understand the hardships of residents due to high rents, but the risks of sharing accommodation surpass their benefits.

We will soon see a significant increase in the supply of housing units that will minimise the housing shortage and soaring rents.

The government is providing all the means including various incentives to motivate developers to build middle-class housing.

Residents are complaining about the noise from construction work in residential areas of the city at night. What action has been taken to resolve this issue?

The Municipality has restricted the working hours of construction to minimise the disturbance to residents. I sympathise with the residents who face this problem.

However, on the one hand we have a housing shortage and rising rents, and, on the other hand, complaints about disturbance from construction of new housing. We can't solve the first problem [in the medium or long-term], unless we tolerate the second problem [in the short term]. The population and the economy are increasing rapidly, so construction of infrastructure has to continue to support the growth.

What is the progress in implementing a smoking ban? Any plan to put blanket ban on Shisha cafes?

The smoking ban is a significant challenge and we are slowly working towards a solution. The majority of residents would applaud a blanket ban on smoking, but smokers [although a minority] have legitimate civic rights. So we are trying to accommodate both sides' feelings. As a compromise, we will provide smoke-free areas for non-smokers while not impinging too much on the lifestyle of smokers.

Shisha cafes are a complicated question as many people have an emotional attachment to shisha, taking it as a regional tradition.

Smoking shisha is a social activity ... So blanket ban on shisha cafes would attract a wide range of resistance from the public.

Still, we are trying to find a way to accommodate advocates of the ban to protect the public health. At the same time, we are trying to minimise the effect on the rights and pleasures of smokers.

Traffic congestion is increasing in the city. What are the steps being taken to control the situation? Any plan to introduce a toll on busy roads to minimise the traffic?

For the time being, we have no plans to introduce tolls on roads in Abu Dhabi. But initiatives to increase road capacity and measures to reduce traffic congestion are underway.

The municipality will install electronic variable message signs on the roads. These messages will alert the motorists about traffic conditions.

If an accident causes traffic jam, a message will alert drivers and recommend an alternative route.

The new public bus service was greatly welcomed and minimised the pressure on taxis in the city. In future, a tram or rail network is inevitable as well.

A well-planned integrated mass transit system, involving buses, trains, and other modes of travel, will reduce the city's dependency on cars as the main form of transport, thereby reducing congestion. It will be environmental friendly too.

When will the paid parking be operational in the city? How will the system work?

The paid parking system is in final planning stages, in coordination with other government agencies [to ensure a smooth roll-out of the system].

The operation of the system is still being evaluated. A user-friendly technology will enable you to make payments using mobile phones, cards, coins or online.

We expect the system will discourage car users and prompt them to use 'public transport' [to save the payment on parking], thereby reducing the traffic jams.

How was the response from the public to dedicated cycle lanes in the city? What are the future plans in this regard?

We received good response to the cycle lanes on the Abu Dhabi Corniche and cyclists are using them for recreation and transport. Wherever possible, we consider dedicated cycle lanes in Municipality projects. However, [unfortunately], due to the rapid growth of the city and hot summer temperatures, we do not foresee a city-wide network of cycle lanes in the near future.

What is the progress in implementing a new address system (new street names and numbers) in the city?

A new street-naming and address system is [being planned], which will be practical, and user-friendly. But it faces some interesting challenges. The city's road network was established before any formal naming or numbering system was in place. Residents identify the major roads by their informal names [given a long time ago], even though official names were given ... So, when the new system [is] ready, we will [implement] a wide publicity campaign to educate the public.

In your view, what are the most ambitious projects/plans of the Municipality (future/ongoing) which will make major changes in the lives of the people?

The most ambitious project underway is the [upgrading] of Salaam Street into a free way (without traffic signals). This is a huge investment by the government in Abu Dhabi's transportation infrastructure to meet growing traffic demands both on Abu Dhabi Island and on adjacent islands with new developmental projects.

Shaikh Zayed Mosque, a world class building by any standards, and New Corniche Beach are other significant projects successfully completed recently.

What are the plans to involve public participation in municipal affairs?

We welcome feedback from residents. Your comments, observations, and suggestions are valuable and useful. We have developed a number of customer service feedback systems for the same.

What was the major challenge before you as the General Manager of the Municipality? What do you consider as the biggest achievement?

When I took over as General Manager, the Abu Dhabi Government was going through a period of transition. Naturally, there was some confusion about certain grey areas whose responsibility wasn't clear.

It was a challenge to organise the Municipality and logically define and assign areas of responsibility which I think we have done very well. It happened when Abu Dhabi was experiencing unprecedented growth, and the municipal services were very much in demand.

The quality and level of Municipal services have been improved significantly thanks to [partly] privatisation and the outsourcing of some services - garbage collection is a good example.

Although the Municipality did the service well earlier, by outsourcing it the quality of service was improved and overall cost was reduced.

Any important projects or plans, you would like to share with Gulf News.

We are moving forward with localised sector improvements to optimise parking, emergency services, and enhance aesthetics of the city ... and amenities.

Salam Street project may disrupt the traffic and cause hardship to residents, although several steps [will be] taken to minimise the inconvenience.

The Municipality is establishing a website for the project.

Profile: Managing key projects

Engineer Juma'a Mubarak Al Junaibi was appointed General Manager of Abu Dhabi Municipality in 2005. Before this, he had a distinguished career with UAE Armed forces as Commander of the Combat Engineers Group and the Head of the Strategic Coordination Department.

He holds a BS Civil Engineering Technology and a Masters in Strategic Studies. Since taking over as the General Manager, Al Junaibi has been leading and managing the major reform programme successfully. This included outsourcing service delivery functions to the private sector, with subsequent cost savings and a significant downsizing of the labour force. This was achieved with no adverse impact on the quality and level of services provided to the community.