Abu Dhabi has done much to improve provision for cyclists and pedestrians – but more changes could help to make the city more connected, according to a new report.
Researchers highlighted how main roads in the city, while good at connecting areas that are far apart, separate adjacent neighbourhoods.
Like many other cities in the Gulf, Abu Dhabi has developed in ways that focus on car travel, but the researchers said it could be altered to better suit public transport.
“Cars connect us to the places we have to go. However, there are cases where the design of the city … prioritises movement of cars instead of any other element of transportation in the city, including walking, cycling and public transportation,” said Dr Apostolos Kyriazis of Abu Dhabi University, one of the report’s authors.
The document, titled Roads (Dis)connecting Cities and Neighbourhoods: A Socio-Spatial Study of Abu Dhabi, is the result of a two-year collaboration between researchers at the London School of Economics and Abu Dhabi University, funded by the Emirates Foundation. This project also resulted in a major exhibition on Abu Dhabi at the LSE last year.
The road ahead
In Abu Dhabi, a city of 1.8 million people, 98 per cent of goods are carried by road. Fewer than five per cent of journeys are made by public transport, a figure seen as low but not unusual for major Gulf urban areas.
The way that the major roads connect distant neighbourhoods has supported the city’s rapid development, but at the cost of creating barriers, because those major motorways can be difficult to cross, the report said.
“The city has developed local cores of activity that remain isolated and constrained by the grid of highways – a typical scenario for a car-centric city,” the report said.
Connectivity between nearby neighbourhoods can be difficult for pedestrians as well as motorists, said another of the report’s authors, Dr Alexandra Gomes of the LSE.
She said that during her own visits, she had sometimes found it difficult to travel within Abu Dhabi island, such as when going to the Corniche.
The report also highlights that the city's suburbs are spread out from one another and have low-density housing.
Public transport is more suited to serving high-density areas because larger numbers of people live near stops and stations.
The density of suburbs could be increased, Dr Kyriazis said, by “acupuncture urbanism”, in which development takes place at particular points, which can become transportation hubs.
“One can organise the neighbourhood around [these],” he said. “Once you attract more people, you have to make sure those people, where they live, have more facilities and amenities to enjoy.”
15-minute city
This is related, he said, to the concept of the 15-minute city, in which residents can reach almost everything they need for day-to-day living, including work, schools, healthcare and shops, within 15 minutes’ travel by foot, bicycle or public transport.
If there is more public transport provision to these areas, along with shops at street level, density can be increased, perhaps by building a couple of storeys higher, Dr Kyriazis said. Public spaces can be added.
Higher-density areas of Abu Dhabi have alleyways or sikkas within neighbourhoods that are often, Dr Gomes said, “disregarded as public space or streets”.
“But they can become something that is fundamental to how people move around their own neighbourhoods,” Dr Gomes said.
Many areas around sikkas are used well by residents as outdoor spaces, with armchairs and sofas placed outside where people can relax in the evenings.
The report notes that “good connectivity” can be found in four denser areas of the city, Reem Island, Tourist Club, Shabiya and Al Reef.
“This is partially due to the permeability of the sikka system and to shorter distances between traffic lights that provide U-turns or left turns,” the report said.
Abu Dhabi’s parking provision is generous, the report notes, and the road network is typically able to cope with the number of road users, thanks in part to optimistic growth forecasts having been used when planning took place.
Get on your bike
The report also highlights how Abu Dhabi has invested significantly in pedestrian and cycling infrastructure, with more than 300km of cycle paths developed within the past decade, for example.
These newer cycle and footpaths are primarily geared towards leisure and promoting healthy lifestyles. The study says that it would be good if there was similar provision for cyclists who commute to work.
It was important, Dr Gomes said, that cycle and footpaths connected areas that people needed to travel between.
“If you are not connecting … the pedestrian and cyclist infrastructure to points of interest, people will not use it,” she said.
There has been, Dr Kyriazis said, a great deal of regeneration in downtown Abu Dhabi, including through the provision of “urban furniture” that allows people to walk then rest and get protection from the sun. He hopes to see more of this.
The city could also be made more pedestrian-friendly by increasing the number of crossing points such as bridges or underpasses for major roads in the central business district, according to Dr Gomes.
Abu Dhabi Metro
Dedicated lanes could improve public transport provision, particularly by bus, but a metro station, not unlike the one in Dubai, could be a game-changer, according to Dr Gomes.
Dubai Metro, which opened in 2009, has helped the city increase the proportion of journeys taken by public transport to 15 per cent.
Riyadh is set to open a metro this year, Bahrain is developing a system and Damman, Jeddah, Kuwait City and Muscat intend to do the same.
A metro in Abu Dhabi, with stations easily accessible by foot, is seen as likely to have a significant positive effect.
“If you use the car all the time, you’re isolated from urban life. If you use the metro, you’ll be more connected with people, more engaged with the city,” Dr Gomes said.
“It’s definitely something that Abu Dhabi needs. Not only Abu Dhabi, but most cities I know in the Middle East need good investment in proper public transport that is reliable, that is frequent.”
There are examples of urban areas in the Gulf that Abu Dhabi and other cities in the region can look to for inspiration as they continue to develop.
Dr Kyriazis highlighted Dubai Marina, with its metro and tram links, and pedestrianisation in the waterside area. The old town of Muscat and Msheireb in Doha, which has been regenerated, are other good examples.
“I really hope we take those examples and we use them in a constructive way,” he said.
Pari
Produced by: Clean Slate Films (Anushka Sharma, Karnesh Sharma) & KriArj Entertainment
Director: Prosit Roy
Starring: Anushka Sharma, Parambrata Chattopadhyay, Ritabhari Chakraborty, Rajat Kapoor, Mansi Multani
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Game Changer
Director: Shankar
Stars: Ram Charan, Kiara Advani, Anjali, S J Suryah, Jayaram
Rating: 2/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
What the law says
Micro-retirement is not a recognised concept or employment status under Federal Decree Law No. 33 of 2021 on the Regulation of Labour Relations (as amended) (UAE Labour Law). As such, it reflects a voluntary work-life balance practice, rather than a recognised legal employment category, according to Dilini Loku, senior associate for law firm Gateley Middle East.
“Some companies may offer formal sabbatical policies or career break programmes; however, beyond such arrangements, there is no automatic right or statutory entitlement to extended breaks,” she explains.
“Any leave taken beyond statutory entitlements, such as annual leave, is typically regarded as unpaid leave in accordance with Article 33 of the UAE Labour Law. While employees may legally take unpaid leave, such requests are subject to the employer’s discretion and require approval.”
If an employee resigns to pursue micro-retirement, the employment contract is terminated, and the employer is under no legal obligation to rehire the employee in the future unless specific contractual agreements are in place (such as return-to-work arrangements), which are generally uncommon, Ms Loku adds.
The specs
AT4 Ultimate, as tested
Engine: 6.2-litre V8
Power: 420hp
Torque: 623Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh330,800 (Elevation: Dh236,400; AT4: Dh286,800; Denali: Dh345,800)
On sale: Now
Hotel Data Cloud profile
Date started: June 2016
Founders: Gregor Amon and Kevin Czok
Based: Dubai
Sector: Travel Tech
Size: 10 employees
Funding: $350,000 (Dh1.3 million)
Investors: five angel investors (undisclosed except for Amar Shubar)
Moon Music
Artist: Coldplay
Label: Parlophone/Atlantic
Number of tracks: 10
Rating: 3/5
The specs: 2019 Audi A7 Sportback
Price, base: Dh315,000
Engine: 3.0-litre V6
Transmission: Seven-speed automatic
Power: 335hp @ 5,000rpm
Torque: 500Nm @ 1,370rpm
Fuel economy 5.9L / 100km
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
Volvo ES90 Specs
Engine: Electric single motor (96kW), twin motor (106kW) and twin motor performance (106kW)
Power: 333hp, 449hp, 680hp
Torque: 480Nm, 670Nm, 870Nm
On sale: Later in 2025 or early 2026, depending on region
Price: Exact regional pricing TBA
Key changes
Commission caps
For life insurance products with a savings component, Peter Hodgins of Clyde & Co said different caps apply to the saving and protection elements:
• For the saving component, a cap of 4.5 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 90 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• On the protection component, there is a cap of 10 per cent of the annualised premium per year (which may not exceed 160 per cent of the annualised premium over the policy term).
• Indemnity commission, the amount of commission that can be advanced to a product salesperson, can be 50 per cent of the annualised premium for the first year or 50 per cent of the total commissions on the policy calculated.
• The remaining commission after deduction of the indemnity commission is paid equally over the premium payment term.
• For pure protection products, which only offer a life insurance component, the maximum commission will be 10 per cent of the annualised premium multiplied by the length of the policy in years.
Disclosure
Customers must now be provided with a full illustration of the product they are buying to ensure they understand the potential returns on savings products as well as the effects of any charges. There is also a “free-look” period of 30 days, where insurers must provide a full refund if the buyer wishes to cancel the policy.
“The illustration should provide for at least two scenarios to illustrate the performance of the product,” said Mr Hodgins. “All illustrations are required to be signed by the customer.”
Another illustration must outline surrender charges to ensure they understand the costs of exiting a fixed-term product early.
Illustrations must also be kept updatedand insurers must provide information on the top five investment funds available annually, including at least five years' performance data.
“This may be segregated based on the risk appetite of the customer (in which case, the top five funds for each segment must be provided),” said Mr Hodgins.
Product providers must also disclose the ratio of protection benefit to savings benefits. If a protection benefit ratio is less than 10 per cent "the product must carry a warning stating that it has limited or no protection benefit" Mr Hodgins added.
FIGHT%20CARD
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EFeatherweight%204%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EYousuf%20Ali%20(2-0-0)%20(win-loss-draw)%20v%20Alex%20Semugenyi%20(0-1-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWelterweight%206%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBenyamin%20Moradzadeh%20(0-0-0)%20v%20Rohit%20Chaudhary%20(4-0-2)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EHeavyweight%204%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EYoussef%20Karrar%20(1-0-0)%20v%20Muhammad%20Muzeei%20(0-0-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EWelterweight%206%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMarwan%20Mohamad%20Madboly%20(2-0-0)%20v%20Sheldon%20Schultz%20(4-4-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESuper%20featherweight%208%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBishara%20Sabbar%20(6-0-0)%20v%20Mohammed%20Azahar%20(8-5-1)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ECruiseweight%208%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EMohammed%20Bekdash%20(25-0-0)%20v%20Musa%20N%E2%80%99tege%20(8-4-0)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESuper%20flyweight%2010%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3ESultan%20Al%20Nuaimi%20(9-0-0)%20v%20Jemsi%20Kibazange%20(18-6-2)%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ELightweight%2010%20rounds%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3Cbr%3EBader%20Samreen%20(8-0-0)%20v%20Jose%20Paez%20Gonzales%20(16-2-2-)%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
The Transfiguration
Director: Michael O’Shea
Starring: Eric Ruffin, Chloe Levine
Three stars
WWE Super ShowDown results
Seth Rollins beat Baron Corbin to retain his WWE Universal title
Finn Balor defeated Andrade to stay WWE Intercontinental Championship
Shane McMahon defeated Roman Reigns
Lars Sullivan won by disqualification against Lucha House Party
Randy Orton beats Triple H
Braun Strowman beats Bobby Lashley
Kofi Kingston wins against Dolph Zigggler to retain the WWE World Heavyweight Championship
Mansoor Al Shehail won the 50-man Battle Royal
The Undertaker beat Goldberg
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
FA Cup semi-finals
Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
Sunday: Chelsea v Southampton, 6pm (UAE)
Matches on Bein Sports
Most sought after workplace benefits in the UAE
- Flexible work arrangements
- Pension support
- Mental well-being assistance
- Insurance coverage for optical, dental, alternative medicine, cancer screening
- Financial well-being incentives
Tips to keep your car cool
- Place a sun reflector in your windshield when not driving
- Park in shaded or covered areas
- Add tint to windows
- Wrap your car to change the exterior colour
- Pick light interiors - choose colours such as beige and cream for seats and dashboard furniture
- Avoid leather interiors as these absorb more heat
Company%C2%A0profile
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECompany%20name%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHayvn%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarted%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E2018%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EFounders%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EChristopher%20Flinos%2C%20Ahmed%20Ismail%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBased%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EAbu%20Dhabi%2C%20UAE%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESector%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Efinancial%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInitial%20investment%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eundisclosed%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ESize%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%2044%20employees%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestment%20stage%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3Eseries%20B%20in%20the%20second%20half%20of%202023%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EInvestors%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EHilbert%20Capital%2C%20Red%20Acre%20Ventures%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Benefits of first-time home buyers' scheme
- Priority access to new homes from participating developers
- Discounts on sales price of off-plan units
- Flexible payment plans from developers
- Mortgages with better interest rates, faster approval times and reduced fees
- DLD registration fee can be paid through banks or credit cards at zero interest rates
