Gulf News
Abu Dhabi Police launch pedestrian safety drive
Abu Dhabi Police launch pedestrian safety drive150 killed and almost 1000 run over last year By Nada Al Taher and Aghaddir Ali, Staff Reporters Published: 18:43 January 7, 2013
Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Police launched the first road safety campaign for pedestrians in 2013 after reports that more than 150 people were killed and almost 1000 run over in accidents during the first 10 months of last year across the Emirates.
The number of deaths of pedestrians is almost double the 83 that were recorded in 2011.
According to Brigadier General Ghaith Hassan Al Zaabi, Director General of Traffic Coordination Department at the Ministry of Interior, people being run over constitutes 18.65 per cent of the total number of deaths and 15.35 per cent of traffic accidents in the UAE. Moreover, almost 30 per cent of injuries during the first 10 months of 2012 were caused by people being hit by vehicles, the official said in a statement.
So far, it is not clear whether or not pedestrian accidents have decreased from 2011 to 2012, but Dubai Police statements claim that being run over is the leading cause of road deaths in the Emirate. In 2012, Gulf News reported a 20.7 per cent reduction such incidents between January 1 and September 30, with 46 deaths reported compared to 58 over the same period in 2011.
The figures led many motorists to call for stricter penalties for jay-walkers.
“Frequently, pedestrians would jump from the side of the road on to a busy street and I would have to do my best to control my car and attempt to dodge them,” said Syrian driver and automobile valuation analyst Ahmad Zendaki. “The law in the UAE is strict on jay-walkers but is also harsh on the motorists who hit them until the pedestrian is proven guilty. Charging them heftier fines and building overpasses in areas where jay-walking is recurrent may help ease problems because they are endangering their own lives as well as others.”
Drivers travelling at 60km/h may not be able to stop in time if pedestrians appear a short distance (of a few metres) ahead, the director of the Dubai Police Traffic department told Gulf News.
Colonel Hamad Al Ameri, director of the Abu Dhabi Police Traffic and Patrol Directorate, said the reduction in people being run over in the capital was a result of the efforts of police officials in Abu Dhabi city, Al Ain and Al Gharbia (Western Region). Efforts in Dubai are also aiming to curb such accidents as the Dubai Police traffic department expressed its will to tighten penalties against offenders last year.
According to the Federal Traffic Law’s article 7, those who cross the street from undesignated areas will be fined Dh200. Similarly, motorists who do not give priority to pedestrians on zebra crossings will also be fined Dh500 and six black points, according to Al Zaabi.
The official said that crossing the road from non-designated areas and drivers’ not giving pedestrians road priority are dangerous traffic offences, therefore it is vital, he said, that road users become more aware on topics relating to pedestrian-safety.
Al Zaabi also explained that there are basic rules that both motorists and pedestrians should abide by and that cooperation between both groups is essential in ensuring a safe road environment. The Ministry of Interior launched the awareness campaign titled Pedestrian Safety is Our Responsibility as an initiative to improve overall road safety. The campaign will continue until March.
My comments as follows:
Congratulations to Abu Dhabi authorities for initiating this campaign at the beginning of a new year. Indeed, “Pedestrian Safety is Our Responsibility” and each road user has to constantly remind themselfves of this. There are several heavy usage sectors like Abu Dhabi Mall, Hamdan Street and Airport Road where one will get to see violators at any given point of day or night. How many hours the authorities can man these roads by policing in uniform or not is a question once again to the general public. The rate of accidents have reduced due to strict laws. However, general awareness campaigns showing the consequences to undergo as an accident victim, either as a pedestrian or as a driver involved should be highlighted repeatedly. The recovery time, the legal proecss, etc are too long and harsh when compared to a few minutes of delay taken to follow the path at designated areas. Let us all support the authorities by following the road safety rules strictly. Community Organisations and companies should educate and remind members and staff on a regular basis the importance of road safety in tandem with Police support.
Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates.
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Global retail chains cash in on grocery closures
Global retail chains cash in on grocery closures
Spinneys, Adnoc Oasis, Waitrose and other chains to open convenience outlets in Abu Dhabi By Binsal Abdul Kader, Staff Reporter Published: 21:38 January 6, 2013 Abu Dhabi: Major retail chains, including global players, will open convenience outlets in Abu Dhabi in place of the closed grocery stores. The coming days will see the opening of a wide range of retail shops run by companies such as Spinneys, Snacks, Adnoc Oasis, Select Express, Waitrose and Spar among others in Abu Dhabi, a senior official announced on Sunday. “These new outlets will make up for the ones that are now closed,” Ahmad Abdul Karim Al Sharaf, acting director of communication and community service at the Abu Dhabi Food Control Authority (ADFCA), said in a statement. But the authority did not disclose the number of stores that shut down and those under renovation after failing to meet the December 31 (Monday) deadline. However, salesmen who distribute supplies to these stores told Gulf News that out of the 1,300 grocery stores and small supermarkets in Abu Dhabi, they found a few were still open for business since January 1 (Tuesday). About 50 per cent of them were very small stores that shut down owing to space and financial constraints in implementing the new standards while the remaining are under renovation, they said. Some of the retail chains trying to cash in on the vacuum created by the closure of grocery stores said they would provide home delivery in residential neighbourhoods. Adnoc Oasis has opened ‘Grocery Stores’ that offer home delivery service on Al Salam Street, Al Falah Street and off Electra Street, a staff said. “Many more stores will be opened in the city soon,” the employee, who did not wish to be named, said.
Home delivery service Select Express has already opened a store on Airport Road and more small stores will be opened across the city soon with home delivery service, an executive said on Sunday. Spinneys has a made a submission to the ADFCA on a concept of small stores to be opened in Abu Dhabi, said CEO Johannes Holtzhauen. He said the company plans to open a number of small stores in Abu Dhabi. “We are waiting for the authority’s approval,” he said. Spar, a global retail chain, along with the Abu Dhabi Cooperative Society will open a number of convenience stores in the city soon, an executive said. Circle K, a convenience store chain with more than 10,000 stores across the world, said it plans to open 15 to 20 outlets in Abu Dhabi. “We will provide home delivery,” said Fahmi Al Shawa, managing director, Circle K UAE. The ADFCA said the groceries that had closed down did so on their own as they did not utilise 2011 for renovation work in their premises.
Fear of penal action Although the authority said it would only gradually close non-compliant groceries, owners of small stores said most such outlets had already shut down fearing penal action. The ADFCA said it had increased the number of approved contractors to over 80 in order to ensure that shopkeepers have enough to choose from. Contrary to speculation, the ADFCA has not fixed the price for renovation in grocery premises at Dh200,000. This choice is left to the shop owners, the authority clarified. It said the new regulations governing retail stores will guarantee food safety and address wide discrepancies in quality. “No new licence will be issued except as per the new regulations,” the ADFCA said.
My comments as follows:I consider the closure of small grocery stores in Abu Dhabi has two side effects to the economy and residents. On one hand, the age old and traditional easy access point to your daily home needs, from your phone is now extinct. One cannot lazily call the grocer on a Friday or any other morning and order him to bring to your doorstep a bottle of milk, eggs, a banana or the daily news. For the school going children, gone are the days where they get down from the school bus and run towards the grocer to buy an ice cream or chips packet or chocolate before they take the lift to their home. A move designed to bring in hygiene and quality to products will therefore show an effect on irregular eating desires, which will have to be discontinued as it is not easy to go in and pick these daily desires, buy and eat items, walking all the way to a mega grocer. Thus, I look forward to a bunch of healthier kids from now on, who will reduce automatically the consumption of fancy chips and chocolates. On the other hand, I foresee a huge decrease in consumer sales of daily saleable, over the counter FMCG products, which are sold purely on the basis of its easy availability from the grocer down than its necessity. Thus, small scale business will suffer. Time will tell whether the big giants could match up with the daily needs of the consumer to the level before or better. With the strict requirements to set up an establishment under the present regulations, the costs are bound hit a new time high, silently and indirectly thus consumer will suffer as a result.
Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
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Outpass fees for Indian amnesty seekers may be waived
Outpass fees for Indian amnesty seekers may be waived
Ambassador asks Indian government to scrap Dh60 charge for amnesty seekers
Dubai: Illegal Indian residents applying for a UAE amnesty to exit the country without immigration fines or legal action may have the application fee waived under a new proposal by the Indian ambassador to the UAE. M. K. Lokesh said on Sunday he has formally requested the Indian government to waive the Dh60 charge for the “Emergency Exit Certificate,” informally called “outpass,” needed to exit the UAE under the amnesty. The amnesty lasts from December 4 to February 3 for all nationalities, and each nation’s foreign missions charge separately for the outpass. “I’ve written to my government to consider waving off the fee… Once the Government of India agrees, there could be relief,” he said during a press conference at the India Club in Dubai on Sunday. “The decision will come hopefully soon. It can take time, there are procedures in place.” There is an additional Dh9 service fee charged by outsourced company BLS that handles Indian passport and visa applications. There are also optional “value added services” like form-filling and on-site photography services. Lokesh said: “We’ve asked them (BLS) to reduce this for amnesty seekers by 30 per cent.” He added that during the last amnesty in 2007, “90 to 95 per cent of them (applicants) traveled at their own cost, each (air) ticket cost about Dh1,000… This time we expect 90 per cent of them to bear their own airfare.” Lokesh said financial assistance for those who cannot afford to be repatriated was an ongoing effort of the Indian missions even outside the amnesty. “We’ll try to help the destitute, we’re already helping them on a daily basis… The (Indian) civil aviation has been informed of this (amnesty) and maybe they’re going to give ticket concessions. And I’m also trying generally with Indian airlines.” Last amnesty, about 1,200 air tickets were arranged for applicants, he added. “Ultimately, only the deserving ones will get it.” Lokesh said that those being repatriated under the amnesty may be allowed to return to the UAE in the future. “We (Indian embassy in UAE) haven’t got anything in writing from local (UAE) authorities, but they’ve said there’s no formal ban. Formally, they haven’t told us there won’t be any ban,” Lokesh said. Last amnesty, about 46,000 Emergency Certificates were issued by the Indian missions in the UAE, Lokesh said. “We issue the travel document called Emergency Certificate, we don’t know how many people actually left.” This year, more than 220 Indians have applied so far. When asked how many applicants are expected this year, Lokesh said: “I can’t be speculative – hopefully less than last time. The initial response has been lukewarm, only about 30-50 people daily. In the final stages, more people may come… The bottlenecks may be the immigration centres – they also issue their own outpass – at the last minute, but there aren’t so many Indians there right now.” There are 14 BLS and Indian community group centres where amnesty seekers can apply in the UAE, he added. “There are 1.75 million to 2,000,000 Indian people here, depending on where you get your figures from. Indian’s are law abiding, their role here is appreciated. Some of them have become illegal residents due to some unforeseen reasons beyond their control.” For verification, Indian applicants who don’t have a valid passport or visa copy details can present their Indian ration or voter card, Indian driving licence or details for relatives and their address in India. “Even with a proper name and date of birth, in cases we’re able to find out from our records if they’re Indian citizens,” he said. After securing an outpass from their embassy or consulate, or the outsourced service provider, amnesty applicants have to approach any of 10 immigration centres handling the official pardon programme in the UAE.
My comments as follows:
It’s a pity that this kind act was thought about after other countries did so to their nationals. Any requirement or actions for non-resident Indians are always a source of revenue for the government and it happened in this case of amnesty too. Let all good actions and thoughts initiate proactively from our legislators and government representatives.
Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates
To read it in original, please visit GULF NEWS Online.
Men in blue need proper place of rest
Men in blue need proper place of rest
Mid-day break rule would help companies provide shade to workers
By Ramesh Menon, Gulf News Reader Published: 16:35 October 27, 2012
The summer holidays are over and work has returned to its regular routine. The mid-day break rule enforced strictly by the authorities was a success and apparently most of the companies involved in its implementation followed it strictly.
However, the heat has not fully disippated and thus, the unpleasant and totally appalling condition of a minority set of worker.
I am talking about a group of workers I happen to see every noon at a prominent sewage maintenance project happening in the heart of Abu Dhabi city.
These workers rest on the road and under the sun in a very sad state. From what I understand, now that the enforced rule is no more active, they are given a choice to rest wherever they can. If possible, companies involving construction workers should consider their field work conditions and assist them accordingly.
I humbly request the authorities to extend the rule as per the average monthly temperature prevailing in each region. I am sure this would provide sustained relief to workers who are involved. –
The reader is a technical officer, based in Abu Dhabi
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Blue in the UAE
Yellow in the UAE – 2
Theme – ‘Yellow in the UAE’.
Where – At one of the best hotels in Abu Dhabi
When – 11 October 2012
Why – Who would like to say NO to this tempting Yellowish produce of UAE
Yellow in the UAE
Theme – ‘Yellow in the UAE’.
Where – At one of the best hotels in Abu Dhabi
When – 11 October 2012
Why – This Yellowish produce of UAE is really Tempting and ready to test the taste buds
Extra caution needed to handle flammables
While in the heart of Abu Dhabi, I happened to witness a tanker refilling a building’s storage unit with gas and was shocked at the absolutely careless manner in which the process was handled.
The building was situated in the center of the city, in front of one of the malls in the area, and the truck was stationed in the street, where many vehicles continuously passed by.
There was no sign or barrier around the truck to keep other vehicles at a safe distance.
All but one of the workers were out of uniform and the one person wearing a uniform was not near the control unit of the truck, which was transferring highly flammable gas to the storage unit. Nor was there a single person near the inlet to monitor the transfer process.
I was really shocked to see this being handled as if it were a transfer of drinking water to a building unit.
There are restaurants and coffee shops in the building, and the streets are filled with drivers, passengers, and pedestrians who carry lit cigarettes and which could be thrown in any direction at any time.
Also, rash drivers try to speed on these narrow roads. What if a vehicle were to emanate an electronic spark or if there was an accident while this process was taking place?
I humbly call on the concerned authorities to take caution and urgently issue appropriate guidelines for the refilling of cooking gas at residential units. These are activities that need to be carried out under strict caution and guidelines.
Let us take precaution before an accident happens.
The reader is based in Abu Dhabi. Be a community reporter. Tell us what is happening in your community. Send us your videos and pictures at readers@gulfnews.com
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‘Yellow in the UAE’.
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