Every neighbourhood has restaurants that offer drive-by service. This is undeniably a convenience when you're hungry and in a hurry. But without proper regulation, these locations can cause problems for pedestrians, neighbours and other drivers.
It is not uncommon to see a long line of idling cars blocking what is supposed to be a traffic lane, at peak-demand times in the early evening and even, outside some restaurants, in the morning. Traffic can congeal as waiters dart back and forth or as customers leave their cars to make their order; alternatively the vehicle flow outside a restaurant can become dangerously unpredictable.
And residents of buildings that house restaurants can have a problem even when they’re indoors: noise from vehicles and horns can be unrelenting. As The National reported yesterday, complaints are frequent but little can be done because no special permission is required to offer drive-by service, Abu Dhabi officials say.
Now, amid the frustrations of tenants, business operators and building managers, there is a growing call for regulation of drive-by services.
This is not an isolated problem: more than 5,000 licensed restaurants and cafes operate in residential buildings across Abu Dhabi.
“Regulations … setting aside dedicated spaces and specific hours of operation, are key to alleviating the problem,” Bassem Y Chouman, the facility manager with Guardian Towers Real Estates, told us.
Perhaps. But improvement should start with enforcement of existing rules. Drivers are already prohibited from using horns constantly, or in a way that annoys or disturbs the public.
The overall traffic – and horn – situation has improved in the past two years with the spread of Mawaqif parking rules. But clearly, more needs to be done. A few tickets for honking and double parking, handed out at different locations each night, would soon ease the problem.
That said, the UAE could also benefit from more drive-through restaurants, which are common in some other places that have a “car culture”. This sort of restaurant allows customers to drive up to a window, place their orders, collect their food and pay – all without getting out of the car, blocking anyone or touching the horn.
When new neighbourhoods are planned, or older ones renovated, architecture and traffic flows should reflect the reality of the way we live.
