Advanced traffic technology to help Abu Dhabi

A timed pedestrian crosswalk at work on the Corniche. A reader recommends adopting a more flexible technology that would regulate both traffic flow and pedestrian crossings.

Why is Abu Dhabi adopting second rate "fixed time" technology at pedestrian crossings? The city should go for the latest adaptive technology based on actual demand, not a fixed timer. Why should drivers have to wait for the pedestrian crossing interval if there are no pedestrians? Why should the pedestrians have to wait for the vehicle when there are no cars? How often in Abu Dhabi does one approach an empty junction but find a 500m queue elsewhere? on The latest systems sense traffic flows on approaches and work out the most efficient operation in real time. This is coupled with push buttons for pedestrians and sensors which detect people on the crossing. These represent the latest technologies and make operations far more efficient. By definition, a fixed counter is a fixed counter. This is inefficient and causes delay and frustration. Ford Desmoineau, Abu Dhabi

In reference to Trapped street cats face a quick death (February 7), the cats can be sterilised so they don't breed. This will reduce their numbers. If you kill all the cats, the vermin population will increase tremendously. This has already happened in Bastakiya area in Dubai. They exterminated the cats and now have many rat traps on the ground. Lizzy Morris, Dubai

The real issue underpinning this emotive topic is that cats are fluffy and cute. The phrase "healthy street cats" hides the fact that what we are really dealing with is "feral cats". How would readers of this article respond to "an emirate-wide ban on killing healthy street rats"? Vermin are vermin. How do you know that the street cat is healthy unless you catch and test and inoculate it? Who pays for this luxury? The next time healthy street cats are mating in your back garden at 3am or urinating over your children's play mat, I'm sure fluffy and cute won't be the first image that springs to mind. Eradicate them all. DV, Dubai

Cats are our friends. People first adopted dogs, then cats and later other home animals. Today cats are helping people fight against rodents. So they are saving our climate from pesticides. Economically, we are saving money.

Why is the cat population increasing? Because the urban reality that is over crowded apartment towers favours the population of rats and mice. This means more food for cats. This is a biological natural balance. If we kill cats tomorrow, the rats and mice will contaminate us and our food. So stop killing cats for the betterment of our environment. Getacheu Gebries, Dubai

I refer to the business article 'VIP investor' sues Damac (January 17). Compared to Lothar Hardt, I am a small time investor in Damac. I invested Dh500,000 at the end of 2006 and am still waiting for the project to commence (Lotus 1). The current financial turmoil has left me penniless (unemployed for many months) and I have begged Damac to return the money but they will not listen and have refused. I do not have any funds to take them to court. I can only pray for Mr Hardt's success and hopefully the judge will open the way for small timers to get their money back. I have confidence in the UAE justice system. Terry Shaffi, UK

In reference to Sultan Al Qassemi's opinion article Book that proves some Emiratis are more equal than others (February 6), I agree with the writer that the right to hold the Kholasat Qaid or Family Book should be extended more widely. Sultan is a bold person who does not shy away from crucial issues. The fact that the UAE is making welcome and necessary changes to its citizen ID laws also shows that changes have been a bit slow, albeit much faster than in some other GCC nations. Given the fact that the UAE (and by extension GCC) have small populations, such citizen laws should have been much more liberal. One reason many foreign-educated locals prefer to reside abroad despite national wealth is exactly such strictures. Expats should be incentivised to come back home and contribute to national development. Athar Mian, Abu Dhabi

Italian chef Andrea Berton produced an extraordinary meal at the first Gourmet Abu Dhabi dinner on Saturday night. The staff at the Intercontinental Hotel were excellent. It was a meal to equal any I have had in Europe or anywhere else. Gourmet Abu Dhabi is a fantastic event which is getting better every year.

Kris Webb, Abu Dhabi