ABU DHABI // Drivers who were confused when numbers were taken off the city’s street signs now say they are puzzled after numbers have been returned – but changed.
The Department of Municipal Affairs (DMA) introduced a hybrid version with names and numbers at some traffic junctions to help motorists find their way around.
For years, many residents have used the street numbers for reference but are now wondering if the municipality has made a mistake on some street signs.
The DMA has recently added the number 6 to signs on Al Bateen Street, which previously carried 32. And Al Khaleej Al Arabi, known as 30th Street, now has the number 8.
While Khalifa bin Shakhbout Street, known as 28th Street, has so far retained its old number, Mubarak bin Mohammed Street (26th Street) and Karama Streets (24th Street) have new numbers – 12 and 14.
“It actually caught me by surprise while driving through Khaleej Al Arabi Road,” said Frederick Jjembra, 47, an Emirates Taxi driver from Uganda. “It’s going to create confusion among drivers, including taxi drivers.”
The changes made to these streets could be an accident waiting to happen, he said.
“When you see the number 6 or 8 instead of 32 or 30, you get confused and nervous and take a sudden U-turn,” Mr Jjembra said. “That’s dangerous.”
Mohammed Tariq, 34, a company driver from Pakistan, agreed.
“I used to work for Arabia Taxi and for the first few weeks we try to familiarise ourselves with the street signs and landmarks,” he said. “The confusing street signs will be a problem for taxi drivers, especially those who are new to the country.”
Ramesh Kumar Bimali, 34, a taxi driver from Nepal, said: “I’ve been working here for the past 20 months and it is causing some confusion for taxi drivers, including myself. I wonder how it would be for those coming from Dubai or Al Ain. It will be a big problem for them.”
But Mohammed Taj, an Abu Dhabi resident for the past 40 years, does not see it as a major problem for those who use landmark location methods or old street names.
For instance, everyone knows Sheikh Khalifa Medical City is on Karama Street, he pointed out.
“It doesn’t really make a difference whether it’s 24th Street or 14th Street,” he said. “You’re not going to be confused as long as you’re familiar with all the major landmarks and their location.”
Mohammed Edris, 48, a family driver from Bangladesh, shared a similar view.
“I didn’t even notice the new number for Mubarak bin Mohammed Street until today,” he said, while waiting for his turn at a photo studio located on the junction of Mubarak bin Mohammed and Hazza bin Zayed (11th Street) on Tuesday.
Under continuing efforts to make street names more clear, there are plenty of roads that already have numbers, including Delma (13th), Mohammed bin Khalifa (15th), Zayed The First (7th), and Shakhbout bin Sultan (19th).
Many streets are yet to get numbers on the signs, such as Fatima bint Mubarak Street, also known as Najda Road or 6th Street, and Sheikh Zayed Street, also known as Salam Street or 8th Street.
The DMA says that by November, there will be more than 200,000 unique building addresses, 12,000 new street names, 200 district names and 20,000 road signs.
The system is similar to that used in the UK and will cover 120 districts in Abu Dhabi, 56 in Al Gharbia and 68 in Al Ain.
The department and Abu Dhabi Municipality were not immediately available for comment.
rruiz@thenational.ae
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