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New speed limit soon on Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway

ABU DHABI —The radars on the Shaikh Maktoum Road, which connects Abu Dhabi to Dubai, will soon be adjusted according to the new speed limit to be announced next week, said Brigadier Hussain Al Harthie, Director of Traffic and Patrols Directorate at the Abu Dhabi Police.

Brigadier Al Harthie said that the new speed limit and the date of implementation will be announced next week when the change is made and a campaign will be started. He told Khaleej Times 
that the speed limit will be adjusted 
on a stretch from Sas Al Nakheel 
to Seih Shoaib (Abu Dhabi-Dubai 
border).

“We will adjust the radar according to the new speed limit,” stated Brigadier Al Harthie. Currently, the radars on the Shaikh Maktoum Road are fixed to catch those driving above 160 kph.

The new speed limit will only be implemented on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway and those on Al Ain road will not be changed, Brigadier Al Harthie added.

Brig Al Harthie clarified that the enforcement of the new speed limit is not a specific response to the massive car-pile up of 127 vehicles on Saturday that killed an Asian man and injured 61 others.

He said it was a continuation of the road safety efforts already underway since the start of 2011.

“We started the campaign for speed management in the beginning of this year. We have already changed the speed limit in certain areas,” he stressed.

Last month, Brigadier Al Harthie announced that Abu Dhabi’s external roads will soon have a pair of speed limit sign boards, one indicating the traffic limit and the other, the exact speed that will trigger the radar. The new speed signs are expected to be fixed next month.

“This is in order to warn motorists the speed they have to adhere to,” said Brigadier Al Harthie, attributing the new approach to finding an appropriate solution that would work with the driving behaviour in the emirate.

According to Conrad, a German national who have had training on sports car driving in Germany, the changes on the speed limit is more confusing than helpful and suggested that more efforts should be exerted instead on educating people how to drive properly.

“In a five-lane highway, 160kph is reasonable. The basic rule in an organised country is to drive on the right lane and leave the left lane for overtaking only. They should also keep a distance that is half the speed they’re driving, meaning if you’re driving 120kph, you should keep a distance of 60 metres, this will give you enough time to break,” he advised.

olivia@khaleejtimes.com