General
Enjoy non-stop green drive on Abu Dhabi road
Enjoy non-stop green drive on Abu Dhabi road
By Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporter GULF NEWS Published: July 08, 2008, 00:09
Abu Dhabi: Motorists on Al Salam Road, or the Eastern Ring Road, in Abu Dhabi can have a non-stop drive, after the ongoing project is completed.
Two major projects – Al Salam Road upgrade, and roads and parking project in Marina Village – will give a facelift to the city, Engineer Abdullah Al Shamsi, Director of Roads and Infrastructure at Abu Dhabi Municipality, told Gulf News.
The projects have been planned to improve the traffic capacity in accordance with an unprecedented increase in number of vehicles in the recent past, he said.
Number of vehicles increased by more than 100 per cent during the past eight years, from 242,409 in 2000, to 526,161 in 2007, according to a report by Department of Planning and Economy of Abu Dhabi Government.
Al Salam Road project will increase the capacity by 100 per cent, said the official. “Environmental aspect has also been taken care of with all road projects,” he said.
New connectivity
The capacity of Al Salam Road will increase by 100 per cent to 6,000 vehicles per hour from the current capacity of 2,500 to 3,000 vehicles, said the official.
The road will be the gateway to the city centre, Al Mina Port, Corniche, and new developed areas such as Reem Island and Saadiyath Island. The four-lane road will have four tunnels to facilitate non stop drive.
Two tunnels will be at the beginning of the road, near Shaikh Khalifa Park, the third one will be near Sea Palace, and a fourth big tunnel will be close to Hazaa Bin Zayed Road.
The 4.6billion project of 13.7km is being carried out in three phases. The construction started in November 2007 and will be completed by 2010.
“We are reorganising the roads in the newly developed Marina Village No. 1,” said the official.
The 1.6km road project costing more than Dh20 million will be completed soon.
The next stage will be done according to the studies of the Department of Transport on the requirements in the area after the introduction of public transport.
Tackling travel time
– More than 100 per cent increase in number of vehicles in eight years – from 242,409 in 2000, to 526,161 in 2007.
– Motorists spend an average of 45 minutes in Abu Dhabi to get to their work.
– Abu Dhabi population has increased steadily by 69.9% during the 1995-2008.
– UAE loses about Dh5 billion a year due to road congestion.
– One person dies every eight hours in road accidents (UAE). Most of the victims are young UAE nationals.
Bus service exclusively for women
Bus service exclusively for women
By Joy Sengupta Staff reporter/KHALEEJ TIMES 8 July 2008
DUBAI — The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) plans to introduce a bus service exclusively for women by the end of this year, according to a senior RTA official.
The CEO of Public Transport Agency at the RTA, Essa Al Dossari, said: “We are in the process of planning better public transport services. The number of women travelling by buses is very high. Our future plans include a fleet of buses which would be only for women.”
More seats
Women commuters have been demanding more seats in the buses, he said. There are also complaints that bus drivers often do not stop to pick up women passengers because of non-availability of seats for them as the seats are few. Presently, there are only 12 seats in each bus for women.
Dossari had told Khaleej Times earlier that RTA was studying the bus routes on which the number of seats for women could be increased. He said that during peak hours, the bus drivers needed to stop at the bus stops which had women waiting. “Logically, if all the seats are occupied the driver can normally carry on the trip flow. During peak hours, however, the drivers must stop and take all the women on board.”
Over 90,000 vehicles hit road in Abu Dhabi
Over 90,000 vehicles hit road in Abu Dhabi
(WAM) Abu Dhabi:
Over 90,000 new vehicles hit the road in the emirate of Abu Dhabi and over 28,000 driving licenses were issued in the first half of the year, according to Police figures.
Lt Colonel Mohammed Al Kitbi, Director of Vehicle and Driver’s Licensing Department, said 28,068 new driving licenses were issued and 91,509 new vehicles were registered in the period from January to June in the emirate of Abu Dhabi.
”The share of Abu Dhabi, Al Ain and Western Region of these licenses were 20,925, 4,975 and 2,168 respectively, ” he explained.
As for vehicle registration, he added new cars registered in Abu Dhabi numbered 67,722. Al Ain and the Western Region saw registration of 21,876 and 1,911 respectively in the same period.
Taxis suffer as bus business booms
Taxis suffer as bus business booms
Matthew Chung and Suleman Din for THE NATIONAL Last Updated: July 01. 2008 11:58PM UAE / GMT
Passengers ride one of the new public buses along Al Salam street in Abu Dhabi. Manuel Salazar / The National
ABU DHABI // Two days after it was launched, the city’s free bus service has been so successful that it has left taxi drivers struggling to find passengers.
Taxi drivers say they are already seeing a drop in business as they compete with the fleet of air-conditioned buses picking up passengers around the streets.
“Before, people were fighting over who would get into my taxi,” said Ghadi Hussain, a gold and white taxi driver. “Now, who will go to taxis? Taxi drivers are going around and their cars are empty.”
The turquoise buses have quickly become a hit with residents, who say riding for free and in air-conditioned comfort is a hard deal to beat.
“Now we can visit all our Abu Dhabi customers very easily,” said Kashim Raza, 25, a credit card salesman commuting from Marina Mall. “It takes longer, but it saves us money.”
However, opting for the bus is by no means the fastest transport option.
A ride from Marina Mall to the Al Meena shopping centre, with all stops in between, took more than one hour yesterday. The trip takes about 15 minutes by taxi.
Taxi drivers claimed they were losing money.
“Last night, I was at Abu Dhabi Mall. There were two lines of people waiting for buses and no one was taking taxis,” Mr Hussain said.
Silver taxi drivers, including Khawaja Sultan Ali, said they were also scrambling for customers.
“We’re going after the buses, to their stops, thinking that some passengers will come to us,” Mr Ali said. “But no one comes.”
Mr Ali said the timing of the introduction of the bus service was bad.
“Right now, there are less passengers on the streets,” he said. “School is out, people are on holiday. There are all these extra cabs out on the street, all trying to get the same passengers.”
Ghadi Hussain, who drives a white and gold taxi, said he could not compete with the free fare for the bus. The majority of his passengers were labourers who use cabs for short-distance rides.
“The market in Abu Dhabi is different than Dubai; there are less Europeans taking taxis,” he said. “Most of our passengers are poor workers: Indians, Pakistanis, Bangladeshis. They will, of course, choose the cheaper way to travel.”
Khadim Hussain said Abu Dhabi was too small a market for old and new taxis and now the new buses.
“This isn’t India or Pakistan. How far do most people travel?” he said. “People don’t go out much at night, maybe to Marina Mall for shopping or for a walk along the Corniche.”
Business was booming on the buses yesterday. There was standing room only on buses heading towards Carrefour on Airport Road and into the city on Fourth Street.
Mr Raza, 25, and his colleague, Mohammed Shahid, 26, said they would continue to use the buses as it would save about Dh50 (US$13.61) a day, the amount they usually spent on taxis.
Richelle Celda, 31, who works at the Arty Shop in the Al Meena Shopping Centre and at Marina Mall, said the spacious, air-conditioned buses were more comfortable and reliable than taxis. Before Monday, the only other means of public transport was a municipally run van that had a capacity for about 15 passengers. “If the seats are full, you could not get on,” Ms Celda, from the Philippines, said.
“Most of the time, I was waiting for taxis or for the [van].”
At Marina Mall, Mohammed Haneefa, a bus supervisor, was handing out copies of route maps and schedules.
He said interest in the bus service was growing rapidly. “Today it is going up, up, up,” Mr Haneefa said. There are four routes for the new service, which will be free until the end of the year. Buses depart from Marina Mall, Al Meena Shopping Centre, near Abu Dhabi Mall on 10th Street, the City Air Terminal on 12th Street and from Carrefour on Airport Road.
The first bus sets off at 6am and the last leaves at 11.30pm.
The buses, which can carry about 45 passengers, are a short-term solution. They will be replaced by buses of a higher quality by the end of the year, according to the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport. Next year, the department plans to have buses making 2,000 trips a day on 21 routes on the island.
By 2010, there will be 1,360 air-conditioned buses operating in the emirate.
* The National
New policy unlikely to affect visa flights
New policy unlikely to affect visa flights
By Zoe Sinclair and Adel Arafah (Staff reporterS/KHALEEJ TIMES)3 July 2008
DUBAI — Airlines offering “visa run flights” to expatriates renewing their visit visas expect minimal impact after a change in the visa policy, officials said yesterday.
A raft of visa changes will take effect from August 1, with one policy to end the practice of “visa runs” where expatriates leave the UAE to a neighbouring country usually only for a matter of hours before returning and renewing their visit visa upon entry.
Dubai Department of Naturalisation and Residency Department (DNRD) Director Major-General Mohammad Ahmad Al Marrihas said from August 1, Dubai’s expatriates will have to remain outside the country for one month before returning on a visit visa.
This rule is already in effect in the other emirates in the UAE, according to Major-General Mohammed Salim bin Awaida Al Khaili, Director-General of the Naturalisation and Residency Department, Ministry of Interior.
He explained that a visitor who stayed the maximum of 90 days of the visit visa duration in the country should leave the country and he can only get a new visit visa after 30 days of the date of his departure. Kish Air, an Iranian airline which operates to the nearby Kish Island
about five times daily, averages about 350 visa run passengers of its total 500 passengers, according to an official.
However, the official said the airline had recently reduced flights to Kish Island and other GCC countries in the climate of high fuel prices and instead increased domestic flights. “Some business will affect us but we’ll make it up on other routes,” he said.
“Kish supports the rules and regulations of Dubai and we have our own business plan.”
Oman Air offers a special visa run package on its five times daily flights between Dubai and Muscat, attracting an estimated 30 to 40 per cent of its business, according to an airline official.
“We are not aware of the visa change and as far as we are concerned, as long as required, we will continue. It’s part of our business,” an official said. However, he said such a policy would not have a dramatic effect on the airline.
“If it becomes effective, it would have a marginal effect. It’s not our core business. We have labourers travelling on leave, tourism, business travel, family and friends visiting the region and holiday packages.”
Any complaints about visa processing can be submitted to the Naturalisation and Residency Directorate General in Abu Dhabi which would investigate.
Gulf Air to start Hyderabad flights on Tuesday
Gulf Air to start Hyderabad flights on Tuesday
Staff Report GULF NEWS Published: June 30, 2008, 20:22
Dubai: Gulf Air, the national carrier of Bahrain, will begin its services to Hyderabad from Tuesday with its inaugural flight taking off from Bahrain International Airport at 12.05am.
This follows the airline’s launch of its services to China’s commercial capital Shanghai on June 16.
“Hyderabad has been one of our favourite destinations in our expansion plans for quite sometime and I am glad we were able to link Hyderabad, the emerging IT and bio-tech hub with business friendly Bahrain,” said Gulf Air chief executive Biorn Naf on the eve of the launch.
“This new route is another example of successful and long-established bilateral relationship between Bahrain and India and, Gulf Air, as the national carrier of the kingdom, is proud to be a part of this growing relationship.
Hyderabad is our eighth Indian destination and we hope to further expand our relationship by adding two more destinations in India within a year.”
Old ties
Highlighting Gulf Air’s nearly 50-year-old relationship with India with its first flight to Mumbai in 1960 – one of the first few foreign airlines to operate into India at that time – Naf said: “India is a booming economy and Hyderabad, as the fifth largest Indian city, is full of opportunities and an important market for us.”
The daily non-stop service between Bahrain and Hyderabad will be served by an Airbus A320-200 with business and economy classes.
Gulf Air operates over 275 flights per month offering as much as 50,000 seats to eight Indian destinations – Bangalore, Chennai, Delhi, Hyderabad, Kochi, Kolkata, Mumbai and Thiruvananthapuram.
Night hours for workers
Night hours for workers
Monday 30 Jun, 2008 for 7DAYS
Contractors are planning additional working hours to compensate for time lost during the midday breaks which starts from tomorrow. An official from the UAE Contractors Association said that companies might opt for extra work hours to finish the projects on time.
“Night schedules are much better than the morning hours because of the heat. Contractors, like others, are concerned about the health of the workers and it is a good move by the Ministry of Labour to have midday break,” said Dr Imad Al Jamal, vice-chairman of the technical committee of the UAE contractors Association.
Earlier this month, Ministry of Labour announced hat construction workers will get a break from 12.30pm to 3pm from July 1. The break period will continue till August 31.
Article printed from 7DAYS General and Local News | Dubai Abu Dhabi | UAE: http://www.7days.ae
URL to article: http://www.7days.ae/en/2008/06/30/night-hours-for-workers.html
Weather warning
Weather warning
Monday 30 Jun, 2008 By Paul McLennan for 7DAYS
Freak weather could endanger the lives of anyone swimming in the sea or trekking in the desert, Dubai Police have warned. Colonel Mohamed Jasim Al Zaabi, director of the Ports Police Station, issued a “cautionary advisory” informing residents and visitors about potential weather changes. He urged people to be careful when going to the beach or visiting the desert or hilly areas.
Al Zaabi also warned people not to swim at night when the sea becomes rougher. The colonel advised people not to go to remote, unsupervised beaches, which may have hidden dangers such as strong currents or whirlpools. Weather conditions are expected to change constantly over the coming days, meaning anyone going sailing should first inform the operations room at Dubai Police.
“This will make it easier for the police to find them in case of any accident,” Al Zaabi said.
Meanwhile, residents thinking of taking a summer holiday away from Dubai are being urged to secure their homes to prevent a possible burglary. Police officers will step-up their presence “to enhance the feeling of safety and security during absence of the public, and to prevent crimes before they happen by decreasing the chances of burglaries”.
Lientenant Colonel Jamal Al Jallaf, director of Criminal Surveillance Department, said the Criminal Investigation Department, has prepared an intensive security plan for the summer and will deploy more officers in markets and residential areas during this time. He urged the public to call Dubai Police’s operation room or the nearest police station with any “security observations”.
paul.mclennan@7days.ae
Article printed from 7DAYS General and Local News | Dubai Abu Dhabi | UAE: http://www.7days.ae
Country sizzles at 51.4C
Country sizzles at 51.4C
By Zoe Sinclair and M. A. Qudoos for KHALEEJ TIMES
DUBAI/ABU DHABI — Mercury touched 51.4C in the UAE yesterday and with humidity at 42 per cent, weather forecasters are predicting uncomfortable days ahead.
A duty forecaster from the National Centre for Meteorology and Seismology said the top temperature of 51.4C was recorded at Minhad Airport, an inland military base, yesterday.
The forecaster said Abu Dhabi and Al Ain both recorded their highest temperature for the year so far at 48.3C.
Dubai Meteorological Office duty forecaster Dr S. K. Gupta said Dubai International Airport meteorology equipment recorded 46.7C while Jebel Ali recorded 49C and Sharjah 48.5C.
Dubai’s all-time high temperature recording on August 9 and 15 in 1999 was 47.5C while Dubai’s June and July all-time highs are both 47.3C.
“August is typically the hottest month,” Dr S. K. Gupta said. “The high temperatures are the result of the breeze beginning late and from a south-easterly gradient which is more from the desert direction.”
Dr Gupta said the comfort index, on a scale of one to ten with ten most uncomfortable, was currently around five or six.
Suspended dust around Abu Dhabi yesterday also affected visibility which reduced to 1,500 metres at its lowest.
The weekend was also hot with temperatures reaching 44C in Dubai on Saturday.
For the week ahead, Dr Gupta predicted hot temperatures of about 45C today and tomorrow. Abu Dhabi was predicted to feel temperatures of 47C while Al Ain was likely to experience 48C.
However, the sea breeze would begin earlier and from a north-westerly direction from Wednesday and causing temperatures to drop slightly.
Maximum temperatures should be closer to 40-41C on Wednesday and 39-40C on Thursday.
Strict implementation of mid-day break
Strict implementation of mid-day break
(Wam) 30 June 2008
DUBAI — The Ministry of Labour’s ban on work in the afternoon will come into effect during July and August, according to Humaid bin Dimas, acting under-secretary of the ministry.
He said at a meeting held in Dubai yesterday that the Labour Minister, Saqr Ghobash Saeed Ghobash had issued directives to implement of the decision, follow up and intensification of inspection, calling on all companies to abide by the decision.
Dimas urged the inspectors to study each case accurately to ensure violation has been committed before submitting report to officials.
Inspection department director Mahir Al Owbed has asked the inspectors to be accurate in reporting violations.
ClicksandWrites 
You must be logged in to post a comment.