HSE

Eco Friendly Transport – Exploring Abu Dhabi Through Clicks and Writes

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Eco Friendly Transport – Exploring Abu Dhabi Through Clicks and Writes

Eco Friendly Transport – a utility cycle displayed at the Friday Market at Masdar City. This seems to be very convenient for village use for children and adults. Its pack weight is approximately 18 kgs and costs about AED 600/+ in Abu Dhbai.
A tempting display.
Ramesh Menon
03.05.2011

This entry was posted in Clicks and writes, Exploring Abu Dhabi, HSE, Photo Speaks.

A dangerous game of cricket – My Letters – THE NATIONAL Dt. 03.05.2011

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A dangerous game of cricket – My Letters – THE NATIONAL Dt. 03.05.2011

A dangerous game of cricket
I happened to witness a dangerous act inside the pedestrian underpass opposite the Emax store on Hamdan Street. A group of teenage boys were playing cricket.
This was extremely threatening to the safety of pedestrians in the underpass as well as public property including the tiles, fire safety equipment and electrical fixtures.
Cricket is a game attracting immense attention from youth these days with an abundance of money and fame around for those who excel at the sport. It is no wonder that parents will encourage any child who shows an interest in it. But this game, I learnt, was not a one-off but is played regularly at the underpass and several times near misses have happened with the cricket ball.
When authorities strive to control jaywalking, I am sure that this is one particular area where people will refrain from using the underpass for fear of being hit by a cricket ball.
We all know it is nearly impossible to bring sufficient playground facilities to all localities. However, other empty playing places presenting no harm to persons or property could be easily found by the young players.
They shouldn’t be allowed to play cricket in an underpass meant only for commuting.
Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi
To read it in original, please visit THE NATIONAL online.

This entry was posted in HSE, Letters to the editor, Opinion 2011, The National, TQM.

A welcome change – Promising actions by Abu Dhabi authorities

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A welcome change – Promising actions by Abu Dhabi authorities

It is always a relief to see when the authorities carries pro-active measures towards suggestion for a better living environment. Here is one such example of a speedier action by Abu Dhabi authorities. Further to my Community Report in Gulf News dated 23rd April, I am happy to blog that both the dangerous spots have been marked clearly giving sufficient warning for pedestrians. What is left is a garbage bin issue, and I believe it will be also handled efficiently soon.

My sincere thanks to GULF NEWS and Abu Dhabi authorities.

Ramesh Menon
29.04.2011

To read my community report of 23.04.2011, please click here or visit GULF NEWS online.

This entry was posted in Clicks and writes, Community Reports, Community Service, Gulf News, HSE, Letters to the editor, TQM.

Recklessness is the root problem – My Letters – THE NATIONAL Dt. 26.04.2011

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My Letters – Recklessness is the root problem – THE NATIONAL Dt. 26.04.2011

Congratulations to Abu Dhabi Department of Transport for reducing speed limits. Every afternoon, I witness minivans carrying school children without seatbelts, speeding at the signals.

Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi

To read it in original, please visit THE NATIONAL online.

This entry was posted in Clicks and writes, HSE, Letters to the editor, Opinion 2011, The National.

Dangers to shoppers and residents – Commuity Report – Gulf News Dt. 23.04.2011

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Dangers to shoppers and residents – Commuity Report – Gulf News Dt. 23.04.2011

Dangers to shoppers and residents

Iron rods on the pavement, uncovered openings and an overflowing dustbin near a mall

Text and Picture by Ramesh Menon, Gulf News Reader Published: 00:00 April 23, 2011

The Tourist Club Area (TCA) is a prime tourist, office and residential spot in Abu Dhabi.

Apart from the numerous office establishments, the shopping mall in the area has a good collection of eateries and entertainment and thus attracts many visitors each day.

It is therefore important to keep the surrounding areas neat, clean and safe for all those who visit it.

The most dangerous thing I have found in the area is a set of iron rods projecting out of the pavement near the Abu Dhabi Bus Terminal in front of the mall.

Several elderly residents walk along this route and an accident could happen at any time.

The section nearer to the mall has uncovered openings, which is another cause for worry.

Adding to all these problems is a dustbin, which is usually full and causes surrounding areas to get dirty because the cleaning staff from nearby buildings dump waste materials on the floor near it before depositing the content one by one into the bin’s small mouth.

They do it every morning and this makes the area dirty the entire day.

Through this community report, I humbly request the authorities to tidy up this area as soon as possible.

— The reader is a technical officer based in Abu Dhabi

Be a citizen reporter. Tell us what is happening in your community. Write to us and send us your videos and pictures at readers@gulfnews.com

To read this in original, please visit GULF NEWS online

This entry was posted in Clicks and writes, Community Reports, Community Service, Gulf News, HSE, Letters to the editor, Opinion 2011.

Solution for airport woes – My Letters -The National Dt. 19.04.2011

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My Letters – Solution for airport woes – The National Dt. 19.04.2011

Travellers from Abu Dhabi airport are blessed with a choice of checking in 24-hours prior to their flight. But the current charge of Dh30 per person is on the high side, especially for those travelling in groups.

Passengers also don’t gain any extra on baggage allowance checking in that way. This service charge could be lowered so that more passengers are attracted to it, thus reducing crowding at the airport.

Secondly, boarding passes issued from the City Terminal don’t carry the gate numbers for departures. Passengers should be guided appropriately to avoid confusion and a last minute rush. A text messaging system could also inform passengers about their flights and gate numbers.

Thirdly, at the entry gate, staff on duty could allocate a priority line for baggage screening to those already carrying a boarding pass, or elderly passengers or those with special needs. This will avoid long queues.

Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi

To read it in original, please visit THE NATIONAL online.

This entry was posted in Clicks and writes, HSE, Letters to the editor, Opinion 2011, The National, TQM.

Good and bad signs at the mall – My Letters – THE NATIONAL Dt. 18.04.2011

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Good and bad signs at the mall – My Letters – THE NATIONAL Dt. 18.04.2011

Into the second day of an advertisement campaign about a showroom opening promotional deals for customers, I saw a huge queue of prospective and curious customers to the Abu Dhabi mall trade and business centre. Is it a prospective sign and shows increased customer spending? If so, it is a good sign for all of us.
On the other hand, this resurgent interest to visit the mall has created a complex traffic situation in the area. Traffic was slow moving and standstill for most of Thursday afternoon and continued the trend on Friday evening too. Abu Dhabi Mall area forms the mouth of the waves of traffic coming in and out of the city and any congestion in the area automatically leads to blocks elsewhere. It was experienced by all those who resides or work or had to reach the area during that time.
I wish authorities act fast and implement a systematic routing of the traffic to keep the flow continuous whenever such super scenarios arise.
In addition, mall authorities and shops should plan and provide special sales offers to customers only during after office hours and holidays. It will thus reduce access problems to those who wish to reach the embassies and offices situated in the area during regular office hours.

To read it in original, please visit THE NATIONAL online.

This entry was posted in Clicks and writes, HSE, Letters to the editor, Opinion 2011, The National, TQM.

Motorists Warned

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Motorists Warned

For Notice Boards please…

This entry was posted in HSE.

Lessons from the last pile-up – My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Dt. 13.04.2011

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Lessons from the last pile-up – My Letters – THE NATIONAL – Dt. 13.04.2011

In reference to Fog blamed for Abu Dhabi pile-up (April 3), the horrific accident that happened on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway reminded me of the pile-up that happened in October 2008.

At various times between these two periods, the press and authorities have warned road users of the dangers that prevail in this sector during bad weather days. It is a very dangerous situation on this particular stretch from Abu Dhabi to Dubai when visibility is less due to fog or sand storms.

Drivers forget the basics and continue speeding even as they are well aware of the dangers.

On March 26, on my way to Mafraq hospital at 6.00 am, I witnessed three near misses from speeding cars exiting the eastern ring road from Abu Dhabi to Dubai. This scene convinced me that police and transport authorities are helpless even if they introduce progressive measures like LED signage and modern speed cameras.

Congratulations to the Abu Dhabi authorities for constantly monitoring the situation and making changes as necessary to avert road accidents. Those traffic violators who speed ignoring the safety of fellow road users should be given compulsory community service at emergency and trauma units of major hospitals.

Safety is not a one-time activity. It is a 24×7 activity for all to make sure no pileups happen again on our roads.

Ramesh Menon, Abu Dhabi

To read it in original, please visit THE NATIONAL online.

This entry was posted in Clicks and writes, HSE, Letters to the editor, Opinion 2011, The National.

Support is needed for non-profit community initiatives – Community Report – Gulf News Dt. 19.03.2011

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Community Report – Gulf News Dt. 19.03.2011 – Support is needed for non-profit community initiatives

The success of the Fourth Used Book Fair in Sharjah could have been even more far-reaching with help from sponsors and volunteers, reader says.

The recently concluded Fourth Used Book Fair in Sharjah, organised by the City for Humanitarian Services, calls for several interesting observations.
The intensive presence of visitors from day one of the fair was highly motivational to volunteers, who dedicated a lot of time and effort to make the event a success.
Visiting the fair and keenly following the activities showed that events of  this nature do not normally generate generous sponsors and sponsorships from organisations. They usually come forward to donate gifts and memorabilia in abundance when events involve film actors or other celebrities.
It was wonderful to see volunteers forgetting their physical challenges, carrying books to numerous stalls and neatly displaying them for sale. They were found competing with each other to showcase their skills in generating revenue for their own cause.
I wish major organisations take a cue from the collective efforts of the organisers of this event and the volunteers who made it a success and support them in the future by coming forward without hesitation in every possible way.

In addition, I feel a strong need by the respectable authorities to initiate a nominal ‘Social Service Contribution’ of say 0.5 per cent to 1 per cent on ticket costs for events that have a high expense. This could then be made a mandatory distribution to an established charity fund.

The fund could then be allocated proportionately and utilised for the day-to-day running of various charity institutions and organisations within the UAE, who are genuinely in need of more support. This way, everyone will become contributors to humanitarian causes, willingly or not.

It would also be a good idea to complement the effort of these charity organisations by providing them reduction in charges on utility services like telephones, electricity and water bills.

– The reader is a technical officer based in Abu Dhabi

– Be a citizen reporter. Tell us what is happening in your community. Write to us and send us your videos and pictures

To read it in original, please visit GULF NEWS Online.

This entry was posted in Clicks and writes, Community Reports, Community Service, Gulf News, HSE, Letters to the editor, Opinion 2011.