Dubai: Unable to find your exact location on a highway? Here is a smart way of finding out this on a major motorway — just look for the exit number.
The Roads and Transport Authority has said that the exit numbers on highways are not just random numbers but hold special significance for motorists while navigating Dubai roads.
Every interchange on highways like Shaikh Zayed Road, Mohammad Bin Zayed Road or Dubai-Al Ain Road, is assigned an exit number, which not only helps motorists find their way but also helps them locate their position on the road during emergencies.
“The exit numbers will help motorists precisely describe their location during emergencies as well as assisting them to locate their destination and plan their exit from the highway in advance while ensuring their safety and that of others,” said Maitha Mohammad Bin Adai, CEO of RTA’s Traffic and Roads Agency.
She added that motorists should make a habit of planning their journey meticulously as this helps cut down the risk of sudden manoeuvres.
One way of avoiding sudden manoeuvres is to remember or save the exit numbers on GPS devices and identify your destination or starting point with these numbers.
Another important role the exit numbers play is to explain the distance from starting point or to destination.
“Roads in Dubai are designated as either ‘E’ or ‘D’ routes. All E routes are highways and all D routes are internal roads. Exits from E Routes to E or D Routes and crossroads are numbered and they are termed exit numbers. These exit numbers increase in value as one goes away from Abu Dhabi border towards Al Sharjah for all highways running north to south and for highways running east to west they increase as one goes away from the coast/sea,” explained Bin Adai.
She added that exit numbers tell you your precise location on the highway. For example, Exit 26 on E11 means you are 26 kilometres from Abu Dhabi border and, similarly, Exit 36 on E66 (Dubai-Al Ain Road) indicates that you are 36 kilometres from the sea.
The redesign of exit numbers is part of RTA’s efforts to revamp the addressing system, which makes navigation and location finding in Dubai a breeze.
Recently, RTA announced the restructuring of Dubai into 14 districts, which include all the communities across the length and breadth of the city.
The revamp of the addressing system also includes renaming all streets which were earlier identified by numbers. The names of the streets are being chosen according to its heritage significance and surrounding landmarks.
The new addressing system features street signs with each area’s district name, community name and street name.
Complementing the RTA’s addressing system is Dubai Municipality’s smart geo-addressing system Makani, which assigns house number and GPS coordinates to each and every building in Dubai. This will help locate an address down to a metre’s accuracy.
