“Interior” explains the reasons for the difference in speeds on main roads

The Director General of Legal Affairs at the Ministry of Interior, Brigadier General Dr. Rashid Sultan Al Khader, explained that speed limits on main roads are based on the density of vehicles on the roads. This came in his response to inquiries from members of the Federal National Council about the presence of a discrepancy in speeds on some main roads and an assessment of the impact of this speed discrepancy on the flow of movement and the concentration of drivers.

In detail, a member of the Federal National Council, Sultan bin Yaqoub Al Zaabi, said during the National Council’s discussion of government policy on the safety and flow of traffic, yesterday: “In light of the UAE’s advanced model in the quality of roads and infrastructure, it is noted that there is a discrepancy in speeds on some of the main roads linking Dubai and Sharjah, including Emirates and Mohammed bin Zayed Roads. Has the impact of this speed variation in the same street on the smoothness of movement and the concentration of drivers been evaluated?”

Council member Dr. Adnan Hamad Al Hammadi pointed out that the discrepancy in speeds between the emirates causes confusion for road users. When we talk about roads from Ras Al Khaimah to Sharjah and then to Dubai, these speeds suddenly change from 140 on the federal external roads in Sharjah and Ras Al Khaimah, then enter the Emirate of Dubai and become 130, then return to 140 without any additional speed margin on these external roads..

For his part, the Minister of Energy and Infrastructure, Suhail bin Mohammed Al Mazrouei, stressed that the design of roads in the country depends on an advanced methodology based on comprehensive simulation of the road network, where congestion scenarios are analyzed, especially at peak times, to ensure the road’s ability to accommodate traffic and address bottlenecks.

Brigadier Dr. Rashid Sultan Al Khader said: “The largest percentage of vehicles in the country is concentrated in three emirates: Dubai, Abu Dhabi, and Sharjah. Speed ​​limits have been adopted based on the density of vehicles on the roads, and traffic engineering in the Emirate of Dubai or in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi conducts specialized studies and sets standard comparisons for traffic indicators that determine density, peak time, and traffic safety and security systems, and accordingly speed is determined according to what it deems appropriate.”