When Abu Dhabi replaced street numbers with names last year, the aim was to make navigation easier. But the result was quite the opposite: many road users were left confused by the new signs.
That state of affairs wasn’t helped by residents informally using three naming conventions: official name, nickname and road number. For example, the road previously called 4th Street is often referred to as Muroor Road, which is now named Sultan bin Zayed the First Street. Yet, there is a similar-sounding street nearby – Zayed bin Sultan Street – which is often referred to as Salam Street.
This problem has now been solved, thanks to the introduction of a hybrid version of name and number signage. In doing this, the Department of Municipal Affairs has brought common sense into play and has also managed to deftly improve the system while maintaining those elements that worked in the first place.
