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RTA holds workshops on safety measures of traffic diversions

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has trained its road maintenance staff and Dubai Municipality employees on traffic safety measures to be taken when traffic diversions are made on the emirate’s roads.

Maitha bin Udai, CEO of the RTA’s Traffic and Roads Agency, said that the RTA has this year accelerated the training of workers deployed on the right-of-way on means of averting traffic accidents during maintenance, landscaping or other similar road works.

“Three workshops have benefited more than 200 engineers and workers at both the RTA and Dubai Municipality.”

The workshops were conducted by Saad Al Asadi, Manager of Traffic Safety, and Ali Al Jasmi, which focused on briefing the participants on how to set up traffic diversions when performing maintenance or landscaping works within the right-of-way, together with the associated technical and legal procedures to be followed.

Maitha stressed the need to adhere to the Right-of-way Works Manual, along with the law regulating works.

Lecturers focussed mainly on familiarising participants with the proper distances to be observed when diverting vehicles from lane to lane to implement traffic diversions, distribution of warning signs and traffic safety measures ought to be followed by workers such as donning the phosphorescent-lined uniform, placing crash cushions behind vehicles operating on the right-of-way in order to alleviate the intensity of the collision in case of traffic accidents.

Safety measures also touched on the provision of safe footpaths when working on both sides of the road, and ensuring that both sides of the road are free from any driving obstacles by leaving a traffic-clear zone on both sides of the road; the scope of which is determined according to the speed limit of the road.

“These workshops seek to apprise participants of the risks involving visibility-obstructing works in the right-of-way such as long tree branches that may block visibility or reduce street lighting. Therefore, some of these workshops focus on defining tree planting within the right-of-way and organising landscaping by addressing its impact on the safety of road users,” she added.

Maitha said that these induction workshops would continue in the upcoming months and target all government departments and private institutions working on the right-of-way. She called on motorists to exercise caution while approaching traffic diversions or newly-constructed areas.

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