ABU DHABI // Hundreds of street kiosks are to be installed in a bid to make the capital's outdoor areas more pedestrian-friendly.
The kiosks will not only sell food, beverages and other convenience items, but will also provide services such as cash machines, vending machines, bike racks and recycling bins.
Each type of kiosk will be a different size and have a different design – the latter of which will be determined by the requirements of the area they are situated in. Parks which do not have vending machines that carry drinks will be among the areas that will get the kiosks.
Abu Dhabi Municipality, which is seeking private backing for the scheme, has earmarked up to 300 locations along the waterfront, in city parks and principal thoroughfares, to feature the kiosks.
The sites are on Abu Dhabi Island and the mainland.
The municipality said it had been inspired by similar projects in other cities around the world and that the kiosks would “enhance the urban experience for residents and visitors alike”.
It hopes the kiosks will tempt more pedestrians to explore the city, particularly during the cooler winter months.
Residents such as Percy Pilane, a South African medical scientist, welcome the move. “We need more facilities, in parks particularly, and public toilets at different city locations. You can hardly find one. There are good parks but they lack amenities.”
“We have to stand in queues for swings, rush for water across the road if we are on the Eastern Mangrove Corniche.
“Due to the climate in this country, more water vending machines and kiosk are needed,” Mr Pilane said, adding that although the parks in the emirate are the “best”, they lack facilities for residents.
The type of food and beverages on offer should also be taken into consideration, he said. “I don’t want unhealthy food outlets, but healthy meals outlets, as many people jog and run in parks.”
Fellow expatriate Mohammed Ahmed agreed. “If we walk from Mina towards Marina Mall on the Abu Dhabi Corniche, we will only get two or three water vending machines.” The issue was more apparent on the corniche along the Eastern Mangroves, said Mr Ahmed.
“It is entirely lacking any machine, or grocery outlet to buy a bottle of water. A stretch of several kilometres does not have a single water vending machine,” he said. The introduction of kiosks would not only aid residents, but be good for tourism, he added.
“This project will cater to the city’s increasing number of residents and visitors and will provide quality amenities in Abu Dhabi’s primary outdoor public spaces,” said Rashed bin Ali Al Omaira, a municipality adviser, yesterday as the contract was put out to tender.
“A 10-year exclusivity framework agreement will be offered to finance, develop and operate kiosk concessions within Abu Dhabi Municipality’s public realm and directly lease the concessions to third parties.”
The municipality called on investors to “propose the latest in design and technology for the implementation of street retail kiosks”.
Investors have until November 7 to submit a bid. Interested parties can visit the municipality's headquarters, call 02 695 5435, or email procurementdivision@adm.abudhabi.ae.
anwar@thenational.ae
It's up to you to go green
Nils El Accad, chief executive and owner of Organic Foods and Café, says going green is about “lifestyle and attitude” rather than a “money change”; people need to plan ahead to fill water bottles in advance and take their own bags to the supermarket, he says.
“People always want someone else to do the work; it doesn’t work like that,” he adds. “The first step: you have to consciously make that decision and change.”
When he gets a takeaway, says Mr El Accad, he takes his own glass jars instead of accepting disposable aluminium containers, paper napkins and plastic tubs, cutlery and bags from restaurants.
He also plants his own crops and herbs at home and at the Sheikh Zayed store, from basil and rosemary to beans, squashes and papayas. “If you’re going to water anything, better it be tomatoes and cucumbers, something edible, than grass,” he says.
“All this throwaway plastic - cups, bottles, forks - has to go first,” says Mr El Accad, who has banned all disposable straws, whether plastic or even paper, from the café chain.
One of the latest changes he has implemented at his stores is to offer refills of liquid laundry detergent, to save plastic. The two brands Organic Foods stocks, Organic Larder and Sonnett, are both “triple-certified - you could eat the product”.
The Organic Larder detergent will soon be delivered in 200-litre metal oil drums before being decanted into 20-litre containers in-store.
Customers can refill their bottles at least 30 times before they start to degrade, he says. Organic Larder costs Dh35.75 for one litre and Dh62 for 2.75 litres and refills will cost 15 to 20 per cent less, Mr El Accad says.
But while there are savings to be had, going green tends to come with upfront costs and extra work and planning. Are we ready to refill bottles rather than throw them away? “You have to change,” says Mr El Accad. “I can only make it available.”
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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2019 ASIAN CUP FINAL
Japan v Qatar
Friday, 6pm
Zayed Sports City Stadium, Abu Dhabi
Reading List
Practitioners of mindful eating recommend the following books to get you started:
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Men’s wheelchair 200m T34: 1. Walid Ktila (TUN) 27.14; 2. Mohammed Al Hammadi (UAE) 27.81; 3. Rheed McCracken (AUS) 27.81.
