ABU DHABI // A US road safety expert has offered the UAE a number of recommendations to help reduce road fatalities.
Cutting speed, drivers understanding pedestrian behaviour and improving infrastructure are among the ideas put forward by Michael Dreznes.
He has offered countermeasures to make UAE roads safer for pedestrians and other vulnerable road users.
Vulnerable road users, which also include cyclists, motorbike riders and non-motorised transportation, account for 30 per cent of fatalities on UAE roads, according to the 2015 World Health Organisation global status report.
“Travelling speeds in areas where pedestrians are interacting with vehicles must be reduced and those speeds must be properly enforced,” Mr Dreznes said. “A pedestrian impacted by a car at 30kph has about a 10 per cent chance of dying. That same pedestrian struck by a car at 64kph has about a 90 per cent chance of death.”
City and rural planners must understand how pedestrians are using the roads to make sure their safety is a priority, he said.
“If an additional lane is added to a road, will pedestrians still be able to cross that road safely? Is a pedestrian overpass or a pedestrian-activated traffic signal justified? Do the pedestrians have footpaths that are segregated from the travelled way?” he said.
In multi-lane roads, the infrastructure should give pedestrians enough time to cross safely.
“Should pedestrian refuges be added to allow the pedestrian to cut the crossing of the road in half?” he asked. “Another engineering solution would be ‘central hatching’, where the median is increased and the lanes are narrowed.”
Pedestrian safety programmes for children that are then reinforced to everyone through public-awareness campaigns are also needed, Mr Dreznes said.
“A very simple rule is to always walk facing traffic and not in the direction of traffic to give them a chance to see an oncoming errant vehicle and take evasive actions to avoid being hit,” he said. “Pedestrians also should wear light-coloured clothes so they can be seen at night.”
Enforcement, he said, is the only way to stop dangerous activities such as uncontrolled stops by buses, illegally parked vehicles that may force pedestrians to walk in the road and pedestrians distracted by their mobile phones.
Mr Dreznes, who is the executive vice-president of the International Road Federation (IRF), is inviting road agency executives and design engineers from the UAE to participate in a vulnerable road user safety course in Doha from February 7 to 9.
IRF has teamed up with the Qatar Transportation and Traffic Centre at Qatar University for a series of training programmes.
“Road authorities and design engineers can learn new technologies and best practices, concepts and designs and put them into practice,” he said.
In recent years the UAE’s road authorities have made improvements for crossing facilities and speed management solutions in urban areas, said Simon Labbett, project director at Sheida, an Omani road safety body.
Median fences, footbridges, mid-block signals, speed humps and speed zone control markings are being installed across the UAE. Twelve bridges are being built in Abu Dhabi to ensure safety for pedestrians while maintaining traffic flow.
“What still needs to be done is continually raise awareness of the dangers of the road for drivers and vulnerable road users,” Mr Labbett said.
Children who travel in cars without being properly restrained are among the most vulnerable road users, he said.
“Perhaps the biggest step still to be achieved is government regulation for the mandatory use of child restraints and rear passenger seat belts,” said Mr Labbett, a former head of UK consultancy Transport Research Laboratory UAE.
“It would need to be linked with an educational programme supported by a high-profile enforcement campaign.”
rruiz@thenational.ae
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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BEETLEJUICE BEETLEJUICE
Starring: Winona Ryder, Michael Keaton, Jenny Ortega
Director: Tim Burton
Rating: 3/5
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Company info
Company name: Entrupy
Co-founders: Vidyuth Srinivasan, co-founder/chief executive, Ashlesh Sharma, co-founder/chief technology officer, Lakshmi Subramanian, co-founder/chief scientist
Based: New York, New York
Sector/About: Entrupy is a hardware-enabled SaaS company whose mission is to protect businesses, borders and consumers from transactions involving counterfeit goods.
Initial investment/Investors: Entrupy secured a $2.6m Series A funding round in 2017. The round was led by Tokyo-based Digital Garage and Daiwa Securities Group's jointly established venture arm, DG Lab Fund I Investment Limited Partnership, along with Zach Coelius.
Total customers: Entrupy’s customers include hundreds of secondary resellers, marketplaces and other retail organisations around the world. They are also testing with shipping companies as well as customs agencies to stop fake items from reaching the market in the first place.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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Greatest of All Time
Starring: Vijay, Sneha, Prashanth, Prabhu Deva, Mohan
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Sweet%20Tooth
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Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
A list of the animal rescue organisations in the UAE
Results:
5pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 2,200m | Winner: AF Al Montaqem, Bernardo Pinheiro (jockey), Ernst Oertel (trainer)
5.30pm: Maiden (PA) Dh80,000 1,200m | Winner: Daber W’Rsan, Connor Beasley, Jaci Wickham
6pm: Handicap (PA) Dh85,000 1,600m | Winner: Bainoona, Fabrice Veron, Eric Lemartinel
6.30pm: Handicap (PA) Dh80,000 1,600m | Winner: AF Makerah, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
7pm: Wathba Stallions Cup Handicap (PA) Dh70,000 | Winner: AF Motaghatres, Antonio Fresu, Ernst Oertel
7.30pm: Handicap (TB) Dh90,000 1,600m | Winner: Tafakhor, Ronan Whelan, Ali Rashid Al Raihe
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Biog
Mr Kandhari is legally authorised to conduct marriages in the gurdwara
He has officiated weddings of Sikhs and people of different faiths from Malaysia, Sri Lanka, Russia, the US and Canada
Father of two sons, grandfather of six
Plays golf once a week
Enjoys trying new holiday destinations with his wife and family
Walks for an hour every morning
Completed a Bachelor of Commerce degree in Loyola College, Chennai, India
2019 is a milestone because he completes 50 years in business
Notable groups (UAE time)
Jordan Spieth, Si Woo Kim, Henrik Stenson (12.47pm)
Justin Thomas, Justin Rose, Louis Oosthuizen (12.58pm)
Hideki Matsuyama, Brooks Koepka, Tommy Fleetwood (1.09pm)
Sergio Garcia, Jason Day, Zach Johnson (4.04pm)
Rickie Fowler, Paul Casey, Adam Scott (4.26pm)
Dustin Johnson, Charl Schwartzel, Rory McIlroy (5.48pm)
How to report a beggar
Abu Dhabi – Call 999 or 8002626 (Aman Service)
Dubai – Call 800243
Sharjah – Call 065632222
Ras Al Khaimah - Call 072053372
Ajman – Call 067401616
Umm Al Quwain – Call 999
Fujairah - Call 092051100 or 092224411
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