Abu Dhabi to cancel maximum speed limit on roads

The Abu Dhabi traffic department has decided to cancel the buffer speed limit – usually 20 kph - within the city’s roads from 2013, UAE daily The National reported on Tuesday.

From the start of next year, 60 kph means 60 kph on the city’s roads – and anyone exceeding it faces a fine, the report said.

The move is part of a strategy intended to stop accidents. The ‘buffer zone’ will be cancelled on city roads and gradually will be reduced on motorways with a view to eliminating it in two years.

However, Brigadier Hussein Ahmed Al Harithi, head of the traffic department at Abu Dhabi Police said the new limits will not be enforced overnight and there will be sufficient publicity to let motorists know about the change.

“The department seeks to ensure drivers are safe on roads. There are roads classified as dangerous for their high number of accidents, which invites control by all possible means, including cutting the grace speed limit,” The National quoted Al Harithi as saying.