The renewed attention on smoking in enclosed areas, neglects the effects of smoking outside. Walking through Abu Dhabi, I notice clusters of people having a quick cigarette outside their offices. They then proceed to stub the cigarette out on the pavement.
Walking back from the postoffice the other day, I counted 752 cigarette ends on the pavements. I am sure I missed a few. Drivers routinely empty car ashtrays on the street and in parking areas. The new restrictions on indoor smoking will only make matters worse.
I would think that more than a million cigarettes end up on the streets and pavements of Abu Dhabi every day. Hundreds of workers are employed by the municipality to clean the streets, but there are pitifully few litter receptacles and even fewer ashbins for smokers. Residents of Abu Dhabi should learn (or be taught) that the street or pavement is not their ashtray.
Jeremy P Weeks, Abu Dhabi
Obstetricians use scare tactics
Thank you very much for writing the wonderful article on women being pressured into C-sections (UAE expectant mothers pressured into 'convenient' C-sections, January 8). I have a seven-month-old and I faced a very similar situation. My obstetrician "fired" me two days before I went into labour naturally, because I refused medical intervention. Her excuses were endless week by week. I had a wonderful labour and the birth was without any complications.
It’s sad that obstetricians nowadays use scare tactics to deny women their right to give birth naturally.
Kay Bodanza, Dubai
C-sections are more profitable for a hospital than normal births. Some doctors will scare patients into opting for a C-section even when it’s not required.
Sid Ahmed, Dubai
All we need is safe biking tracks
With reference to your #cycletoworkuae campaign, safe cycling tracks would be fantastic. The track at Al Wathba is amazing, but something around the city or maybe linking the city to Yas, Sadiyaat and some of the other islands would encourage more people to cycle.
I thank Abu Dhabi for the opportunities it provides for people to exercise and take part in healthy and active pastimes. It’s an amazing city. I feel privileged to live and work here.
Phil Perrin, Abu Dhabi
It’s not a good idea, in the absence of dedicated bicycle lanes and proper driving and cycling habits.
Spare a thought for pedestrians who are often inconvenienced by cyclists on pavements and at traffic junctions. Even at the Corniche, which has a dedicated bicycle lane, recreational cyclists often use the pavements. I have had some scary experiences with cyclists while walking around the Corniche and at traffic junctions. Cyclists must stay in their lanes in order to avoid accidents.
Making Abu Dhabi cycle-friendly is a very good idea, but I think it could wait until the infrastructure is in place.
Gita Mehra, Abu Dhabi
It’s not yet time to encourage people to cycle to work in the UAE.
The network of cycle tracks is still in its infancy, so people will be forced to use the roads and these are among the most dangerous in the world for cyclists. I was surprised to hear an advertisement on the radio saying: “If we stay on the hard shoulder we should be OK.”
Cyclists should not be riding on a road that has a hard shoulder. Also, it’s not about how good the cyclists are – it’s about how bad the drivers are. Anyone who believes that being alert is all that a cyclist needs to stay safe is simply deluded.
Rob Brown, Abu Dhabi
Cartoon upholds spirit of freedom
Shadi Ghanim's cartoon of January 9 on the tragedy in France, which shows the Eiffel Tower leaning and shedding tears on pens, was very expressive and appropriate.
Solidarity has been shown worldwide and it is good to hear the voice of a journalist or a caricaturist in a UAE newspaper. It is about freedom of speech and expression and also about defending common human values.
A life cannot be taken for a drawing or an article. Too many journalists worldwide pay with their lives for daring to speak up, write and report. Keep on drawing, keep on writing. Your role is essential.
Name withheld by request