Address system nears completion

A new address system for Abu Dhabi could be finalised by mid-September while Dubai's revamped system could be in place within a year.

ABU DHABI // The design for a new address system that would see each street in Abu Dhabi be given a unique name should be finalised by mid-September, while Dubai's revamped system could be in place within a year, officials said. In the capital, the project was on schedule and signs should be posted by the start of next year, said a member of the address committee set up by Abu Dhabi's Executive Council. Meanwhile, Dubai's scheme - now being tested in the Jumeirah 3 area - could be rolled out to the whole emirate within the next year, a spokesman for the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said.

Signs displaying the traditional street numbers in Dubai's test zone were replaced by road names at the beginning of the month, and literature explaining the changes was distributed to residents. The three-month pilot project served as a test for the system before it could be implemented through the rest of the city, said Peyman Younes Parham, the RTA's director of communications. "The idea is to bring Dubai's address system up to global standards, where each street will have a unique name. We've come up with all the names already and no two streets will have the same name. All buildings on a street will be numbered and it will make life easier for everybody because the current system of street numbers and using landmarks to direct delivery people is very confusing. It seems to be going very well, although residents were a little confused at first when they woke up to discover their street had a name instead of a number."

It would take between six and nine months to introduce the project Dubai-wide, Mr Parham said. The street names - many of which had been taken from famous historical figures - would be in Arabic but an effort had been made to use names that were easily pronounced in English. Some of the new street names in Jumeirah 3 include Al Hamra, Al Dana and Al Safee streets. An Al Hamra Street resident, Ka Ming Wong, said the new system had already made a difference.

"I had a cheque delivered by courier the other day and it seemed like the guy had less trouble than normal finding me." * The National