Abu Dhabi is to build the first environmentally friendly road in the Middle East, the Department of Transport announced on Monday.
The 5-kilometre pilot project will link the existing Abu Dhabi to Dubai main road (E11) to the new main road between the emirates (E311). Work is due to begin in the first quarter of 2015.
The project will be a model for future roads in Abu Dhabi, and will support the highest sustainable practices adopted worldwide, according to the department.
These practices include the use of technologies to lower carbon emissions and produce environmentally friendly building materials such as recycled asphalt, concrete aggregates and scrap rubber tyres.
Renewable energy will be used for lighting, while the building materials will ensure the highest levels of safety for vehicles, resulting in lower maintenance and running costs.
The project is in line with the department's Surface Transport Master Plan, which aims to improve and expand motorways.
Traffic will not be affected during the work thanks to several planned detours, the department said.
The department is collaborating with the Urban Planning Council, the Estidama initiative, the Environment Agency and Masdar.
Once the work is finished, the department will evaluate the outcome to improve the guidelines and create a rating system for future roads in the emirate.
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The five stages of early child’s play
From Dubai-based clinical psychologist Daniella Salazar:
1. Solitary Play: This is where Infants and toddlers start to play on their own without seeming to notice the people around them. This is the beginning of play.
2. Onlooker play: This occurs where the toddler enjoys watching other people play. There doesn’t necessarily need to be any effort to begin play. They are learning how to imitate behaviours from others. This type of play may also appear in children who are more shy and introverted.
3. Parallel Play: This generally starts when children begin playing side-by-side without any interaction. Even though they aren’t physically interacting they are paying attention to each other. This is the beginning of the desire to be with other children.
4. Associative Play: At around age four or five, children become more interested in each other than in toys and begin to interact more. In this stage children start asking questions and talking about the different activities they are engaging in. They realise they have similar goals in play such as building a tower or playing with cars.
5. Social Play: In this stage children are starting to socialise more. They begin to share ideas and follow certain rules in a game. They slowly learn the definition of teamwork. They get to engage in basic social skills and interests begin to lead social interactions.