Motorists across Abu Dhabi on Thursday claimed the scrapping of 'buffer zones' across the emirates could mean many more fines for drivers.
Road users said confusion over how and where the new measures were being implemented meant even law-abiding motorists risked breaking speed limits.
From Sunday August 12, drivers throughout Abu Dhabi will no longer be allowed to exceed stated road limits without penalties.
The new move, introduced by Abu Dhabi Police and the Department of Transport, aims to standardise official speed limits, improve road safety and end long-standing question marks over how fast vehicles are permitted to travel.
On most roads under the buffer scheme, motorists can drive up to 20kph faster than speed limit signs actually state.
On Thursday, Rabee Gharzdeen, 27, from Jordan, said he remained unsure whether road safety would improve.
Last year, official figures showed 230 out of 525 road traffic fatalities in the UAE were caused by speeding.
“I’m not quite sure how this is going to work,” said Mr Gharzdeen, a who regularly drives for his job. “Why change the law when there are already many traffic patrols out there to ensure everyone’s safety?
“I don’t understand where on the Abu Dhabi to Dubai road the speed limit rule will change. Abu Dhabi is scrapping the buffer but Dubai isn’t.”
Over the last few weeks, Abu Dhabi’s traffic authorities have begun rolling out measures in preparation for the law change.
New speed limit signs have been installed, and a publicity campaign launched to raise public awareness of the shift.
In most cases, it is understood speed limit signs on highways that currently read 100kph will be changed to read 120kph. Other sections of road with existing signs showing 120kph will be replaced with 140kph signs.
Hadi Hamdoun, a business executive from Lebanon, said he welcomed scrapping the buffer zone, claiming many motorists remained unclear how the existing system functioned.
He said tourists in particular often found it hard to understand why so many drivers appeared happy to break advertised speed limits.
“When I moved here eight months ago I got very confused because I’d be driving at the speed limit and people would yell at me for not going fast enough,” he said.
“Then there’d be times when I'd be yelled at to slow down — it took me about a month to figure it out.
“I think abolishing the buffer zone is a much better idea. It was so confusing before; why did the sign say 60kph when you could legally drive at 79kph without getting a ticket?
“Now people will know exactly how fast they should drive. Whether they accept that or ignore it is a different matter.”
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Read more:
Abu Dhabi 20kph speed limit buffer to be removed in August
Exclusive: Abu Dhabi to phase out 20kph speed buffer on some major roads
End of the 20kph buffer? UAE police ask public for views on ending allowance.
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Saeed Al Remeithi, a member of the Federal National Council, told The National he hoped the scheme's roll out would run smoothly.
“It’ll be just a matter of time before people get used to the scrapping of the speed buffer,” he said.
“Part of the problem has been those who are aware of the buffer drive fast, while people such as tourists who don’t drive slower. This has caused confusion as well as accidents.”
Maj Nasser Al Saadi, a spokesman for Abu Dhabi police, said most of the new speed signs were already in place on roads and highways.
He said a social media campaign to raise awareness of the start of the scheme this Sunday proved successful.
Thomas Edelmann, spokesman for the campaign group RoadSafetyUAE, said: “This change must go hand in hand with increased speed enforcement activities by authorities.
“There needs to be mobile radar units, a greater police presence, and an initiative to introduce sections of road where average speeds are monitored.”
What vitamins do we know are beneficial for living in the UAE
Vitamin D: Highly relevant in the UAE due to limited sun exposure; supports bone health, immunity and mood.
Vitamin B12: Important for nerve health and energy production, especially for vegetarians, vegans and individuals with absorption issues.
Iron: Useful only when deficiency or anaemia is confirmed; helps reduce fatigue and support immunity.
Omega-3 (EPA/DHA): Supports heart health and reduces inflammation, especially for those who consume little fish.
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More than 2.2 million Indian tourists arrived in UAE in 2023
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The five pillars of Islam
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Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
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Who was Alfred Nobel?
The Nobel Prize was created by wealthy Swedish chemist and entrepreneur Alfred Nobel.
- In his will he dictated that the bulk of his estate should be used to fund "prizes to those who, during the preceding year, have conferred the greatest benefit to humankind".
- Nobel is best known as the inventor of dynamite, but also wrote poetry and drama and could speak Russian, French, English and German by the age of 17. The five original prize categories reflect the interests closest to his heart.
- Nobel died in 1896 but it took until 1901, following a legal battle over his will, before the first prizes were awarded.
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