Capital's speed limits cut in residential spots

ABU DHABI // New speed limits for vehicles in residential areas will be applied across the emirate starting in the new year, Abu Dhabi Police said yesterday.

The police have not yet announced where the speed limit changes will be made, nor what the changes will be, promising that a public announcement will be made before the end of the year.

However, one confirmed change is to reduce the speed limit on streets in residential areas from 40 to 60kph to between 20 and 40kph, said Colonel Hussain al Harthi, the director of the traffic and patrols directorate at the police.

No changes will be made to the speed limits on the Abu Dhabi-Al Ain highway or the Abu Dhabi-Dubai route, where the speed limit is 120kph.

"Drivers have to abide by the speed limits that are displayed on the main roads of residential areas," said Col al Harthi."People also have to adhere to the temporary signs that reduce the speed limit at detour areas or areas where there are roadworks, whether inside or outside the cities," he said.

The decision came following a re-evaluation of speed limits and a series of speed tests in residential areas in Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Al Gharbia by the Abu Dhabi Police together with the municipalities of all three cities and the Department of Transport.

"The aim of reconsidering speed limits on Abu Dhabi roads is to find [the] best solutions to traffic safety problems on internal and external roads and to avoid human and economic losses," said Col al Harthi.

"We have used the best practices of countries such as the UK, Australia, New Zealand and even Sweden when deciding on the speed limits within residential areas," he said.

hkhalaf@thenational.ae