MADINAT ZAYED // Traffic engineers are working to make roads safer in the country's most dangerous region, where the population is expected to double by 2030.
Although road deaths dropped by 26 per cent in 2011 from 2010, the western region's lightly patrolled, unlit roads remain the country's most notorious.
Crash rates in Al Gharbia are three times higher than the average for the entire Abu Dhabi emirate.
Engineers and response services want to cut death rates in half by 2020, before the economy and population boom hits.
The Health Authority-Abu Dhabi reported 98 deaths in Al Gharbia in 2010, an incident rate of 67.82 deaths per 100,000 population, more than four times the emirate average of 16.17.
In 2011, there were 72 deaths, and an incident rate of 48.4 deaths per 100,000.
Last year, for example, a single a collision between a bus and a minivan in Ruwais killed several workers.
More must be done before the population grows, engineers have warned.
"With the plans for the population increase there will be a lot of economic activity which will translate into more trips," said Abdenacer Boutemine, the road division manager for the Western Region Municipality. "It's our responsibility to manage this growth intelligently."
A full inventory of Al Gharbia's 800 kilometres of roads has been completed and the entire network is to be improved within 10 years.
This will be a crucial part of the economic development expected to follow industrial projects that include the Dh36.7bn Ruwais refinery expansion and the Dh73.5bn nuclear reactor project in Braka.
Al Gharbia's roadworks are a priority for Abu Dhabi's Urban Planning Council, which has completed master plans for the emirate running through 2030.
"In terms of the master plan, I think the Government is really dedicated to advancing this programme and they will supply us with the necessary funding," Mr Boutemine said. "I think it's really irreversible at this time because a lot of people have heard about the master plan, everybody is convinced that it's really necessary to develop the area, as well as the emirate and the country."
The population in Al Gharbia grew by 41 per cent from 2005 to 2010, according to the Statistics Centre Abu Dhabi, to stand at 184,508.
Under current plans, the population is expected to reach 120,000 in Ruwais by 2030, Madinat Zayed is to double to about 55,000 and even sleepy Mirfa is projected to reach a population of 65,000.
Growth, however, depends on road infrastructure.
"Development will not come without having the utilities, infrastructure and roads that will entice people into the region," said Dr Eyyad Al Khalaileh, adviser for the Western Region Development Council for infrastructure and planning. "The municipality has to take the responsibility to submit the business cases and the requirements for the whole project and when the budget gets approved they can force those projects to come online.
"One of the major issues that the western region is facing is that projects are not moving forward and it's making it difficult for investors."
Engineers have called for standardised road design, new signage and lighting, and a new storm drainage system.
U-turns are to be banned entirely. In addition, they want lower speed limits and stricter enforcement.
Funding for a new Dh10bn Mafraq-Ghweifat (E11) motorway was approved by the Abu Dhabi Executive Council in January.
It is to have three lanes, be fully lit and have many turn-off sites for emergency response units.
It is hoped that the integrated traffic systems planned for Abu Dhabi city will be applied to places in Al Gharbia, such as a motorway radio system that broadcasts road conditions to motorists and radar systems that take an average speed between two points instead of relying on a single location.
Police have already increased patrols in the region by hundreds.
Recent budget approvals by the emirate's Executive Council mean many of these plans may begin soon.
The municipality is already selecting contractors after the approval of road infrastructure funding in recent weeks.
These include Dh3million for road safety infrastructure to be allocated to six communities, road networks for two residential neighbourhoods in Madinat Zayed that had waited for approval for two years, and a 25-km dual carriageway from the hamlet of Bida Al Mutawa to Ghayathi.
"The faucet has been opened," Mr Boutemine said. "There was an approval from Executive Council on many, many aspects of the budget so now we are preparing a lot of documentation to get consultants and contracting."
azacharias@thenational.ae
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Biography
Favourite drink: Must have karak chai and Chinese tea every day
Favourite non-Chinese food: Arabic sweets and Indian puri, small round bread of wheat flour
Favourite Chinese dish: Spicy boiled fish or anything cooked by her mother because of its flavour
Best vacation: Returning home to China
Music interests: Enjoys playing the zheng, a string musical instrument
Enjoys reading: Chinese novels, romantic comedies, reading up on business trends, government policy changes
Favourite book: Chairman Mao Zedong’s poems
In numbers
1,000 tonnes of waste collected daily:
- 800 tonnes converted into alternative fuel
- 150 tonnes to landfill
- 50 tonnes sold as scrap metal
800 tonnes of RDF replaces 500 tonnes of coal
Two conveyor lines treat more than 350,000 tonnes of waste per year
25 staff on site
A MINECRAFT MOVIE
Director: Jared Hess
Starring: Jack Black, Jennifer Coolidge, Jason Momoa
Rating: 3/5
What is hepatitis?
Hepatitis is an inflammation of the liver, which can lead to fibrosis (scarring), cirrhosis or liver cancer.
There are 5 main hepatitis viruses, referred to as types A, B, C, D and E.
Hepatitis C is mostly transmitted through exposure to infective blood. This can occur through blood transfusions, contaminated injections during medical procedures, and through injecting drugs. Sexual transmission is also possible, but is much less common.
People infected with hepatitis C experience few or no symptoms, meaning they can live with the virus for years without being diagnosed. This delay in treatment can increase the risk of significant liver damage.
There are an estimated 170 million carriers of Hepatitis C around the world.
The virus causes approximately 399,000 fatalities each year worldwide, according to WHO.
'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
Squid Game season two
Director: Hwang Dong-hyuk
Stars: Lee Jung-jae, Wi Ha-joon and Lee Byung-hun
Rating: 4.5/5
The biog
From: Upper Egypt
Age: 78
Family: a daughter in Egypt; a son in Dubai and his wife, Nabila
Favourite Abu Dhabi activity: walking near to Emirates Palace
Favourite building in Abu Dhabi: Emirates Palace
Match info
Uefa Champions League Group C
Liverpool v Napoli, midnight
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The rules on fostering in the UAE
A foster couple or family must:
- be Muslim, Emirati and be residing in the UAE
- not be younger than 25 years old
- not have been convicted of offences or crimes involving moral turpitude
- be free of infectious diseases or psychological and mental disorders
- have the ability to support its members and the foster child financially
- undertake to treat and raise the child in a proper manner and take care of his or her health and well-being
- A single, divorced or widowed Muslim Emirati female, residing in the UAE may apply to foster a child if she is at least 30 years old and able to support the child financially
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe
Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010
Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille
Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm
Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year
Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”
Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners
TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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NO OTHER LAND
Director: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham, Rachel Szor, Hamdan Ballal
Stars: Basel Adra, Yuval Abraham
Rating: 3.5/5
Votes
Total votes: 1.8 million
Ashraf Ghani: 923,592 votes
Abdullah Abdullah: 720,841 votes
ALL THE RESULTS
Bantamweight
Siyovush Gulmomdov (TJK) bt Rey Nacionales (PHI) by decision.
Lightweight
Alexandru Chitoran (ROU) bt Hussein Fakhir Abed (SYR) by submission.
Catch 74kg
Omar Hussein (JOR) bt Tohir Zhuraev (TJK) by decision.
Strawweight (Female)
Seo Ye-dam (KOR) bt Weronika Zygmunt (POL) by decision.
Featherweight
Kaan Ofli (TUR) bt Walid Laidi (ALG) by TKO.
Lightweight
Abdulla Al Bousheiri (KUW) bt Leandro Martins (BRA) by TKO.
Welterweight
Ahmad Labban (LEB) bt Sofiane Benchohra (ALG) by TKO.
Bantamweight
Jaures Dea (CAM) v Nawras Abzakh (JOR) no contest.
Lightweight
Mohammed Yahya (UAE) bt Glen Ranillo (PHI) by TKO round 1.
Lightweight
Alan Omer (GER) bt Aidan Aguilera (AUS) by TKO round 1.
Welterweight
Mounir Lazzez (TUN) bt Sasha Palatkinov (HKG) by TKO round 1.
Featherweight title bout
Romando Dy (PHI) v Lee Do-gyeom (KOR) by KO round 1.
Kat Wightman's tips on how to create zones in large spaces
- Area carpets or rugs are the easiest way to segregate spaces while also unifying them.
- Lighting can help define areas. Try pendant lighting over dining tables, and side and floor lamps in living areas.
- Keep the colour palette the same in a room, but combine different tones and textures in different zone. A common accent colour dotted throughout the space brings it together.
- Don’t be afraid to use furniture to break up the space. For example, if you have a sofa placed in the middle of the room, a console unit behind it will give good punctuation.
- Use a considered collection of prints and artworks that work together to form a cohesive journey.
Engine: 3.5-litre V6
Transmission: eight-speed automatic
Power: 290hp
Torque: 340Nm
Price: Dh155,800
On sale: now
The specs
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
