The new rules come into effect from April and the application of fines will be enforced from May 1. Photo: Abu Dhabi Police
The new rules come into effect from April and the application of fines will be enforced from May 1. Photo: Abu Dhabi Police
The new rules come into effect from April and the application of fines will be enforced from May 1. Photo: Abu Dhabi Police
The new rules come into effect from April and the application of fines will be enforced from May 1. Photo: Abu Dhabi Police

Abu Dhabi to introduce minimum speed limits on Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Road


Patrick Ryan
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Abu Dhabi is set to introduce minimum speed limits on Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Road.

General Ahmed Saif bin Zaytoun Al Muhairi, director of Central Operations Sector at Abu Dhabi Police, said the minimum speed on the first and second lanes from the left will be 120kph, while the maximum speed remains at 140kph.

Motorists, who drive below 120kph on the first two lanes of the four-lane highway that links Abu Dhabi and Dubai, will be fined Dh400.

Abu Dhabi Police made the announcement on their social media channels on Thursday afternoon.

“The goal of the low-speed activation is to ensure the safety of drivers, to require slow vehicles to move on the right lanes and to always make way for vehicles with preference coming from behind or from the left,” Gen Al Muhairi said.

The third lane with a speed of 140kph and the last lane for use by heavy vehicles will not include minimum speed violations, police confirmed.

The new rules come into effect from April and the application of fines will be enforced from May 1.

The Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Road, named in honour of the Vice President and Ruler of Dubai, opened in November 2016.

The 62-kilometre motorway, built at a cost of Dh2.1 billion, shares traffic with Sheikh Zayed Road to ease congestion between the two cities.

The motorway begins where Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road ends in Seih Shuaib, on the Dubai-Abu Dhabi border, and has a capacity for 8,000 vehicles an hour with four lanes in each direction.

It passes through the green belt at Al Maha forest, Khalifa Port Industrial Zone and Bida Khalifa.

The road intersects with Al Ajban Road and bypasses Shahama, Zayed Military Camp and Al Falah, all the way to the Sweihan Road interchange.

It also directly links to Yas Island, Saadiyat Island, Abu Dhabi airport and Al Ain Road.

There are two new petrol stations, one on each side, between interchanges 1 and 2.

Visa changes give families fresh hope

Foreign workers can sponsor family members based solely on their income

Male residents employed in the UAE can sponsor immediate family members, such as wife and children, subject to conditions that include a minimum salary of Dh 4,000 or Dh 3,000 plus accommodation.

Attested original marriage certificate, birth certificate of the child, ejari or rental contract, labour contract, salary certificate must be submitted to the government authorised typing centre to complete the sponsorship process

In Abu Dhabi, a woman can sponsor her husband and children if she holds a residence permit stating she is an engineer, teacher, doctor, nurse or any profession related to the medical sector and her monthly salary is at least Dh 10,000 or Dh 8,000 plus accommodation.

In Dubai, if a woman is not employed in the above categories she can get approval to sponsor her family if her monthly salary is more than Dh 10,000 and with a special permission from the Department of Naturalization and Residency Dubai.

To sponsor parents, a worker should earn Dh20,000 or Dh19,000 a month, plus a two-bedroom accommodation

 

 

 

Updated: March 30, 2023, 1:08 PM