UAE Community Blog: Slow Down!

15 August, 2007

Slow Down!

RTA is soon lowering the maximum speed limit from 120kph to 100kph:
~ between Interchanges 2 & 5 on Sheikh Zayed Road
~ on the Al Khail Road

The minimum limit of 60kph will remain.

Speed reductions are also being considered on other 100kph roads down to 80kph.

Excerpts from the article in Gulf News:
~ "We are in the process of revising speed limits on most of Dubai roads in order to reduce fatal accidents, because speeding is the main killer," said Badr Al Siri, Director of Traffic Department at Roads and Traffic Agency in RTA.

~ "The measures are being taken after extensive studies," he said.

~ Motorists are allowed to drive at least 20km above the given speed limit before they are caught by radars and cameras.

~ 240 out of 312 people were killed in accidents caused by speeding last year. Around 45 people were killed and 273 got injured in 122 accidents last year on Shaikh Zayed Road alone.

~ Some 136 people have been killed on Dubai roads during the first six months of this year.

Read the whole article here.

17 comments:

Magnus Nystedt said...: "Motorists are allowed to drive at least 20km above the given speed limit before they are caught by radars and cameras."

What's the point? Wouldn't it be easier to set the limit on the signs as well as radar/camera to the same number?; 15 August, 2007 09:26
redstar said...: Speeding's a problem, certainly. What's needed is police actively enforcing the rules, not just making more rules that noone will obey.; 15 August, 2007 11:03
EyeOnDubai said...: Once again the RTA demonstrate a total lack of comprehension with a blanket 'solution' that utterly fails to tackle the real problem. Speed is of itself not the problem - it is RELATIVE speed that is the issue, drivers traveling too close to the car in front, too fast for the prevailing conditions, without due regard for the safety of other road users, without proper observation and so on. Sadly, once again, the majority will be pealised for the failures of the ignorant and arrogant minority.

Redstar, I couldn't agree more! Have posted a longer thought on my own blog. EoD; 15 August, 2007 11:15
Seabee said...: That 20kph leeway comment caught my eye too - is it true I wonder, or just the usual quality of 'journalism'?

redstar and eod, I totally agree. The problem is the same as it always has been, not enforcing rules. And of course speed in itself doesn't kill, it's inappropriate speed and the appalling driving that does that.; 15 August, 2007 11:32
Anonymous said...: They reduced the speed because they want people to go faster, so that the radar starts flashing and get the money rolling.

Hahahahaha in Dubai everything is a joke starting from the BS rules down to the 7000+ Visas; 15 August, 2007 12:27
Mme Cyn said...: The 20 KM wiggle room is NOT true! I have been popped for doing less than 5 over the limit. If you look at your fines,it tells you where you got nailed and how fast you were going.; 15 August, 2007 15:37
i*maginate said...: I realise I'm the only one (so far) to agree with the slowdown.

*redstar, if the new rule comes into play, of course people will obey them when it comes to speed limits. Instead of people speeding 140kmh between the radars, it will now become a maximum of 120kmh. So there will be somewhat of a slowdown.

*eyeondubai - if cars slow down, the "relative" effect will be even if cars, as you rightly say, don't maintain distance, safety will be *increased*, and this applies to the "reckless" drivers as well, who, from changing lanes at a lower speed (in most likelihood) will endanger less lives due to the lower speed.

Less speed = less danger.; 15 August, 2007 16:56
B.D. said...: Speed is of itself not the problem - it is RELATIVE speed that is the issue...

Speed is a problem when there are lots of roadworks going on, as there are on this stretch of highway. It makes perfect sense to slow things down a bit. It is in fact a bit more comfortable to negotiate the construction works at 100 km as opposed to 120. A 100 km speed will mean that most drivers will be in the 90-110 range as opposed to the 110-130 range. I really believe this helps.; 15 August, 2007 17:49
Anonymous said...: Speed limits in the UAE? They EXIST? Gosh, to think I had them filed under UFO sightings and "reason behind Etisalat decisions"...; 15 August, 2007 20:23
Grumpy Goat said...: "Let's reduce the speed limit on Sheikh Zayed Road...after extensive studies," says the RTA. Once again, a half-baked idea rushed out as a knee-jerk reaction to something or other.

If the people carring out the "extensive studies" talked to others in the RTA, theyre wouldn't now be a need to go and change all the shiny new Max 120/Min 60 signs to read 100, would they?

And I got done for 101kph in a 100 zone, so the 20kph leeway is a myth, at least in Sharjah.; 15 August, 2007 22:25
Dubai Entrepreneur said...: My guess, someone is making a lot of money out of making those signs.; 16 August, 2007 00:03
hemlock said...: ive been commuting betwen intechange 4 and trade centre for a while now, and while im an ardent fan of speeding, i grudglingly admit things have been saner since they put up the 100-60 boards. people still speed between radars and then slam the brakes just before the cameras, but that only happens in the left most lane.

dont know about now, but up until MOE, you didnt get flashed driving at 145.; 16 August, 2007 09:07
Anonymous said...: 20km/hr reduced speed... Yes they will reduced speed when they saw that they are approching into camera... I'm expecting a lot of files of car in the Sheikh Zayed Road everyday... imagine traveling at the speed of 140kph and above then suddden slow for 120 and below my gosh...

What do you think guys...

Better if they will removed stupid, crazy and poor minded drivers on the road I thinks its helps a lot...; 16 August, 2007 12:56
The Ego said...: I noticed the signs today on my way back towards DMC etc... towards Dubai I was happily driving at 120km/h ... *sigh*
But it didn't make a difference: everyone was driving the same way i.e. at 120km/h and higher except for a few... and the usual maniacal racers were still there... so it's not made a lot of difference on the roads as such... at least, not yet.; 16 August, 2007 13:35
Anonymous said...: If the speed limit is 100 or 120, I generally give myself a 9km/h extra to whatever the limit is. I think that's safe. However, when you're in a 60km/h zone, you may as well stick very close to that limit. That's just a general rule.

Now it's final, all the way to DMC (and back), it's 100km/h. This really blows.; 18 August, 2007 10:36
John B. Chilton said...: Having just returned from the US I'm reminded that a close second to speeding here is driving way too slow. It would make a big difference if the trucks here could accelerate and hold speed. Of course they'd also have to have decent tires and brakes!; 21 August, 2007 10:22
nzm said...: John: and that they weren't so overloaded!; 22 August, 2007 04:05