ABU DHABI // Cyclists in the emirate have reason to rejoice. The streets in the Tourist Club Area and the bustling neighbourhood near the Etisalat building in Khalidiya will be rejuvenated and redesigned to better accommodate pedestrians and cyclists.
The Urban Planning Council (UPC) said it was finalising the development of the Tourist Club Area, which has a new name of Al Zahiya, and that Abu Dhabi Municipality, which has engineers and consultants working on the designs, would be leading the exercise.
Referring to the neighbourhood behind Etisalat building in Khalidiya, Ibrahim Al Hmoudi, transport planning manager at UPC, said: “It is one of the oldest and most active zones for retail, especially for Emiratis.
“We think it’s going to bring Emiratis back to the streets because most of the Emiratis moved from the urban retail areas to the enclosed malls. We’ve created a few options and they are now awaiting final approval.”
There will be shared paths for pedestrians, cyclists and other road users.
Street designs will vary accordingly. “You allow shared paths when there is very low speed and the risk from vehicles is quite low,” said Mr Al Hmoudi. “We separate them from traffic when there is high vehicle speed, such as in Hamdan Street, for safety purposes.”
Mr Al Hmoudi's department introduced the Urban Street Design Manual (USDM) in 2010 with the aim of gradually reducing Abu Dhabi's reliance on cars.
In line with the principles of Abu Dhabi Vision 2030, the manual aims to promote walking, enhance connectivity through public transport and create a sustainable urban environment.
Pedestrians, public transport users, cyclists and motor vehicles are the design priorities.
The manual’s preferred design is called a “complete street”, with ample safe crossings, pedestrian signals, cycle lanes, and shaded public areas and walkways.
The design guidelines of the USDM would make Abu Dhabi more cyclist-friendly by creating a safer space for cyclists to use, and integrate that space with other modes of transport, said Mr Al Hmoudi.
Yousif Al Fahim, a senior associate planner at the UPC, said the council had come up with a strategy to identify locations in Abu Dhabi and beyond the main island where bicycle tracks and shared paths would be built according to USDM guidelines.
Among the off-island areas are Khalifa City, Mohammed bin Zayed City and Shakbout City.
“These are existing areas where their usage will be almost immediate,” he said.
The majority of Abu Dhabi’s roads were built more than 10 years ago, and most of them have a 20-year life cycle.
“The projects have already started but the question is when is the right time to make a major maintenance,” said Mr Al Hmoudi.
“You cannot go ahead and take all these roads and redesign them.”
Mr Al Hmoudi said he expected the roads to undergo major maintenance work in the next 10 years.
“If that happens, all the roads will be rebuilt,” he said.
“And we should also take into account that the Metro and tram systems are in the final design stages. Once they are built, the whole street will have to be revised because that is a major construction.”
Building work will involve a major part of the downtown area, which will emerge with a completely new look.
Presently, Abu Dhabi has cycling infrastructure on the Corniche, on Yas Island, Salam Street, King Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz Street and Sila, a city in the Western Region.
In principle, the USDM recommends the provision of bicycle facilities regardless of whether bicycles will be used simply for leisure or as a mode of transport. “For every major tram or metro stop, we strongly recommend bicycle parking facilities where people can take their bikes in the morning, leave them there, take the metro to get to their offices and come back,” said Mr Al Hmoudi.
“We can also make use of an available technology, such as e-bikes, which can help one travel long distances with minimum effort. Through our design manual, we are looking at providing proper facilities, proper rights of way, and dedicated lanes to encourage people to use them.”
The UPC is working on existing neighbourhoods in coordination with Al Ain Municipality.
“The Al Ain trail was finalised a few months ago,” said Khulood Al Marzouqi, a planning manager for Al Ain and the Eastern Region at the UPC.
“Al Ain has so many world heritage sites, archaeological sites and historical locations. The aim is to create pedestrian and cycle lanes that connect all the major landmarks and go around the Al Ain Oasis.”
The heritage trail would link the city's most popular heritage sights such as the Al Mutaredh Oasis, Al Jahili Fort, Sheikh Zayed Palace Museum and Al Ain Oasis.
“Phase one has already been approved and is being implemented by the municipality,” she said. “Phase two is still in the conceptual stage and will follow the same route.”
rruiz@thenational.ae
