Discretionary speed buffer zone to end this Sunday
▶ Buffer zones in Abu Dhabi end on Sunday but some motorists remain unconvinced of the safety benefits
Abu Dhabi’s long-established buffer zone, which allows motorists to drive 20kph faster than the advertised speed limit, will end on Sunday.
Police and traffic authorities urged road users to take note of the change in law, insisting every effort had been made to raise public awareness.
Over the past month, officials from the Department of Transport have begun the process of changing traffic speed signs to reflect the new limits.
The move means drivers will no longer be able to exceed any stated speed limit in the emirate without breaking the law.
Thomas Edelmann, spokesman for the campaign group RoadSafetyUAE, welcomed the transition, pointing out excessive speeding continued to cause large numbers of road deaths in Abu Dhabi each year.
He also urged authorities to eliminate the buffer zone throughout the UAE to avoid confusion. Dubai speed limits will not be affected by the new ruling.
“A traffic sign ... should not be open to interpretation,” Mr Edelmann said. “Its meaning must be crystal clear – a stop sign means stop; a no left turn sign means just that; and a 120kph sign means drivers must not exceed that speed.”
Maj Nasser Al Saadi, a spokesman for Abu Dhabi police, said his force was confident motorists were now well informed of the coming change.
He said announcements on social media in Arabic, English, Urdu and Chinese had helped to spread the message and avoid possible confusion.
“There shouldn’t be an issue,” he said. “We’ve been explaining the change on Instagram, Twitter, Facebook and our force’s website.”
Motorists across Abu Dhabi claimed the scrapping of buffer zones throughout the emirate could mean more fines for drivers.
Road users said confusion over how and where the new measures were being implemented meant even law-abiding motorists risked breaking speed limits.
From Sunday, drivers throughout Abu Dhabi will no longer be allowed to exceed stated road limits without penalties.
The move, introduced by Abu Dhabi Police and the Department of Transport, aims to standardise official speed limits, improve road safety and answer long-standing questions about how fast vehicles are allowed to travel.
On most roads under the buffer scheme, motorists are allowed to drive up to 20kph faster than the limit on road signs.
Rabee Gharzdeen, 27, from Jordan, said he was unsure whether road safety would improve.
Last year, official figures showed 230 out of 525 road traffic fatalities in the UAE were caused by speeding. “I’m not quite sure how this is going to work,” said Mr Gharzdeen, who drives for his job.
“Why change the law when there are already many traffic patrols out there to ensure everyone’s safety? I don’t know where on the Abu Dhabi to Dubai road the speed limit rule will change. Abu Dhabi is scrapping the buffer, but Dubai isn’t.”
Over the past few weeks, Abu Dhabi’s traffic authority has started rolling out measures ready for the law change. New speed limit signs have been installed and a publicity campaign launched to raise public awareness of the shift.
In most cases, it is understood speed limit signs on roads that currently read 100kph will be changed to read 120kph. Other sections of road with existing signs showing 120kph will be replaced with 140kph signs.
Hadi Hamdoun, a business executive from Lebanon, said he welcomed scrapping the buffer, saying many motorists were unclear how the existing system worked. He said tourists in particular often found it hard to understand why so many drivers seemed happy to break advertised speed limits.
“When I moved here eight months ago I got very confused because I’d be driving at the speed limit and people would yell at me for not going fast enough,” he said.
“Then there’d be times when I’d be yelled at to slow down – it took me about a month to figure it out.
“I think abolishing the buffer zone is a much better idea. It was so confusing before; why did the sign say 60kph when you could legally drive at 79kph without getting a ticket?
“Now people will know exactly how fast they should drive. Whether they accept that or ignore it is a very different matter.”
Saeed Al Remeithi, a member of the Federal National Council, told The National he wanted to see a smooth roll-out.
“It’ll be just a matter of time before people get used to the scrapping of the speed buffer,” he said. “Part of the problem has been that those who are aware of the buffer drive fast, while people such as tourists, who don’t, drive slower. This causes confusion as well as accidents.”
Maj Nasser Al Saadi, a spokesman for Abu Dhabi Police, said most of the new speed signs were already in place on roads and motorways. A social media campaign to raise awareness before the scheme starts this Sunday has been deemed a success.
But Thomas Edelmann, spokesman for the Road Safety UAE campaign group, said the buffer rule change must be matched by increased speed enforcement by authorities.