Signs have been erected in Dubai Marina Walk and Marina Mall Walk warning riders they must dismount. Rory Reynolds / The National
Signs have been erected in Dubai Marina Walk and Marina Mall Walk warning riders they must dismount. Rory Reynolds / The National
In this roughly 500 metre section from Marina Mall to the yacht wharf it is prohibited to cycle or use an e-scooter. Rory Reynolds / The National
In this roughly 500 metre section from Marina Mall to the yacht wharf it is prohibited to cycle or use an e-scooter. Rory Reynolds / The National
E-scooters in particular have grown in popularity and many can reach 25kph or more. Antonie Robertson / The National
E-scooters in particular have grown in popularity and many can reach 25kph or more. Antonie Robertson / The National
Signs warn cyclists and e-scooter riders they cannot exceed 12kph on Marina Walk. Antonie Robertson / The National
Signs warn cyclists and e-scooter riders they cannot exceed 12kph on Marina Walk. Antonie Robertson / The National
Nearby residents said too many riders exceed the speed limit, which they said was rarely enforced. Antonie Robertson / The National
Nearby residents said too many riders exceed the speed limit, which they said was rarely enforced. Antonie Robertson / The National
The 8km walk of one of the city's most popular outdoor attractions. Antonie Robertson / The National
The 8km walk of one of the city's most popular outdoor attractions. Antonie Robertson / The National
A worker carries a huge stack of cardboard to be recycled. Antonie Robertson / The National
A worker carries a huge stack of cardboard to be recycled. Antonie Robertson / The National
Cycling has grown in popularity with Careem's bike-for-hire stations dotted throughout the city. Antonie Robertson / The National
Cycling has grown in popularity with Careem's bike-for-hire stations dotted throughout the city. Antonie Robertson / The National

Transport

Dubai Marina brings in speed limit signs to tackle reckless e-scooter and bike riders

The 12kph limit was already in place but was often ignored, residents said

Nick Webster
Nick Webster

July 21, 2020

  • English
  • Arabic

New speed limit signs were introduced in Dubai Marina to deter reckless e-scooter and bike riders.

Yellow stickers were placed along the eight-kilometre Marina Walk loop at the weekend telling riders to slow down.

Two-wheelers were already restricted to 12 kilometres per hour but the limits are often ignored or riders plead ignorance, residents said.

E-scooters have become popular in the past year and some can reach 25kph or more.

They go way too fast and you just don't see or hear them coming

Security guards regularly patrol the marina but do not tend to challenge riders.

Paul Young, who lives in Jumeirah Beach Residence, two streets away from Marina Walk, said pedestrians were keen for riders to slow down.

“They’re definitely a hazard,” said Mr Young, an energy manager from the UK.

“I’m in favour of the speed limit for scooters, they’ve become a real menace in residential areas.

“I would like to see them banned altogether in JBR as they are just not compatible in communities where there are lots of children.

“They go way too fast and you just don’t see or hear them coming."

E-scooter are on the rise and are particularly popular in the Marina and Downtown Dubai, where traffic and one-way systems can make short taxi journeys inconvenient.

Models such as the Chinese-made Segway Ninebot are limited to 17kph, but software can be installed to increase the speed towards 30kph.

The company makes about 90 per cent of the e-scooters in use in the US and the two-wheelers cost from Dh1,400.

The Xiaomi M365 Pro, which is sold on Noon and Amazon for about the same price, can reach 26kph without any modification.

Cyclists must wear helmets by law, though they are not compulsory for e-scooter riders and are rarely seen being worn.

As the electric rides have become more popular, doctors reported an increase in related injuries.

A recent US study reported close to 40,000 broken bones, head injuries, cuts and bruises resulting from scooter accidents.

The study on accidents in the US published in the Journal of the American Medical Association revealed the number of injuries trebled between 2014 and 2018.

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The bio

Favourite book: Peter Rabbit. I used to read it to my three children and still read it myself. If I am feeling down it brings back good memories.

Best thing about your job: Getting to help people. My mum always told me never to pass up an opportunity to do a good deed.

Best part of life in the UAE: The weather. The constant sunshine is amazing and there is always something to do, you have so many options when it comes to how to spend your day.

Favourite holiday destination: Malaysia. I went there for my honeymoon and ended up volunteering to teach local children for a few hours each day. It is such a special place and I plan to retire there one day.

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MATCH INFO

Who: UAE v USA
What: first T20 international
When: Friday, 2pm
Where: ICC Academy in Dubai

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UAE%20v%20West%20Indies
%3Cp%3EFirst%20ODI%20-%20Sunday%2C%20June%204%20%0D%3Cbr%3ESecond%20ODI%20-%20Tuesday%2C%20June%206%20%0D%3Cbr%3EThird%20ODI%20-%20Friday%2C%20June%209%26nbsp%3B%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EMatches%20at%20Sharjah%20Cricket%20Stadium.%20All%20games%20start%20at%204.30pm%0D%3Cbr%3E%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EUAE%20squad%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3Cbr%3EMuhammad%20Waseem%20(captain)%2C%20Aayan%20Khan%2C%20Adithya%20Shetty%2C%20Ali%20Naseer%2C%20Ansh%20Tandon%2C%20Aryansh%20Sharma%2C%20Asif%20Khan%2C%20Basil%20Hameed%2C%20Ethan%20D%E2%80%99Souza%2C%20Fahad%20Nawaz%2C%20Jonathan%20Figy%2C%20Junaid%20Siddique%2C%20Karthik%20Meiyappan%2C%20Lovepreet%20Singh%2C%20Matiullah%2C%20Mohammed%20Faraazuddin%2C%20Muhammad%20Jawadullah%2C%20Rameez%20Shahzad%2C%20Rohan%20Mustafa%2C%20Sanchit%20Sharma%2C%20Vriitya%20Aravind%2C%20Zahoor%20Khan%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A

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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Starring: Abdullah Boushehri, Laila Abdallah, Lulwa Almulla

Rating: 3/5

Simran

Director Hansal Mehta

Stars: Kangana Ranaut, Soham Shah, Esha Tiwari Pandey

Three stars

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- Carbonated drinks, sweet or savoury packaged snacks, confectionery, mass-produced packaged breads and buns 

- Margarines and spreads; cookies, biscuits, pastries, cakes, and cake mixes, breakfast cereals, cereal and energy bars

- Energy drinks, milk drinks, fruit yoghurts and fruit drinks, cocoa drinks, meat and chicken extracts and instant sauces

- Infant formulas and follow-on milks, health and slimming products such as powdered or fortified meal and dish substitutes

- Many ready-to-heat products including pre-prepared pies and pasta and pizza dishes, poultry and fish nuggets and sticks, sausages, burgers, hot dogs, and other reconstituted meat products, powdered and packaged instant soups, noodles and desserts

Who's who in Yemen conflict

Houthis: Iran-backed rebels who occupy Sanaa and run unrecognised government

Yemeni government: Exiled government in Aden led by eight-member Presidential Leadership Council

Southern Transitional Council: Faction in Yemeni government that seeks autonomy for the south

Habrish 'rebels': Tribal-backed forces feuding with STC over control of oil in government territory

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Matches 68; Wins 35; Draws 19; Losses 14; Goals For 133; Goals Against 82

  • Eighth place in Premier League in 2015/16
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  • Runners-up in League Cup in 2016
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Engine: 4.0-litre, twin-turbocharged V8

Transmission: nine-speed automatic

Power: 630bhp

Torque: 900Nm

Price: Dh810,000

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