Road safety has become an obsession nationwide: police hold campaigns throughout the year, asking drivers to adhere to rules. And while some have heeded the appeals, a very different threat to safety comes out of the slow lanes.
It is not from speed kings but from lumbering heavy vehicles, which often try to muscle their way through, causing accidents in the process. Accidents involving heavy vehicles are increasing, especially during foggy weather.
The authorities are aware of the problem and the pressure it puts on the infrastructure. They even took remedial action: Emirates Road was built for trucks to bypass Dubai city. But the road has become dangerous, with many truck drivers showing scant regard for the law.
Trucks must remain in the slow lanes, but many drivers refuse to stay there. Some even overtake other vehicles, and in doing so they turn the roads into deathtraps.
The Abu Dhabi authorities reacted: the Traffic and Licensing Department in the Abu Dhabi General Directorate of Police said all vehicles over 2.5 tonnes cannot use the Abu Dhabi-Dubai Highway. The rule took effect on March 9. The department has designated an alternate route for trucks operating between Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
But there have been hiccups. Earlier, it used to take truck drivers around two-and-a-half hours to get to Dubai from Abu Dhabi. But today the journey takes around six hours because the rule says they must take another route. The decision was taken to reduce accidents involving heavy vehicles.
Major Adnan Al Zaabi, head of the Technical Section of the Abu Dhabi Traffic Department, said trucks coming from Dubai have to take the new route at Seih Shoib Bridge on the Al Faya Road. And those coming from Tarif heading towards Dubai must take the Truck Road from the Brick Factory Bridge to Al Faya Road.
The department said truck drivers coming from Maqta Bridge and Musaffah must follow the Truck Road at Brick Factory Bridge towards Al Faya Road.
Truck drivers now have to travel an additional 45km to leave Abu Dhabi without using the highway. Earlier, trucks would travel on the highway from Abu Dhabi city to Seih Shoib Bridge, a distance of 85km. Now they have to travel 130km through the desert to Seih Shoib Bridge.
The additional distance is just 45km, but the journey takes three hours longer because of the massive traffic.
The new route, in fact, has become a bottleneck. The single-carriageway with two-way traffic cannot handle the heavy traffic. Trucks crawl along leading to long traffic snarls.
At times there are 500 trucks on the road. Police patrols cannot access the road because of the tailback on the stretch, especially from Al Faya to Seih Shoib and the junction from where heavy vehicles divert to Dubai.
Trucks coming from Abu Dhabi, heading towards Dubai come up against a wall of trucks from Al Ain. The long line of vehicles from Al Ain blocks the route for trucks heading to Dubai.
Trucks coming from Dubai also join those coming from Al Ain at the junction to go to Abu Dhabi. The result is clogged roads towards Dubai, Al Ain and Abu Dhabi. Trucks wait for hours for traffic to clear. Accidents occur as impatient drivers try to move along.
Lack of facilities
There are no parking and refreshment facilities on the road. Drivers must brave the harsh weather and the moods of the desert. They say signboards are insufficient and they take time to become familiar with the road.
"It is hell. We are stuck here for more than three hours now. No food, no water," said an angry truck driver who was caught in the middle of a traffic jam at Al Faya interchange.
The stretch from Al Wathba Palace on the Abu Dhabi-Al Ain Road to Al Faya Interchange, including the junction, has become harrowing for truck drivers. Mohammed Faizal said: "We are troubled because of this ban. Something must be done to ease traffic flow. We get stuck in the middle of the desert without food or water. This is a nightmare."
Peer Mohammed, a driver, said: "Visibility becomes poor during sandstorms as the single-lane route passes through the desert. Accidents are increasing. Highway patrols do not come because they find it difficult to access the route."
Motorists said the highway is now safer without heavy vehicles. They said heavy vehicles should not be allowed to play the highways. Ghulam Riaz, a resident of Abu Dhabi, said: "It was difficult to drive on the highway. I used to crawl behind trucks, waiting for the road to clear. It has become safer now. The risk factor has reduced. My journey to and fro Abu Dhabi is peaceful... without any trouble."
Ajay N., a resident of Dubai who often travels to Abu Dhabi on the weekends, said trucks should not share the road with light vehicles. "Accidents involving trucks can be fatal. We have had enough of tragic incidents on the Abu Dhabi-Dubai Highway."
Discipline
Shakil Ahmad, who lives in Sharjah and occasionally travels to Abu Dhabi, said: "This decision by the Abu Dhabi authorities to ban trucks on the highway has made the road safer. I have seen many trucks change lanes dangerously on Emirates Road.
"This endangers the lives of other motorists. Police patrols can't cover every inch of the highway. The best solution is to ban trucks on highways. Heavy fines must be imposed on offenders."
Transport companies are an unhappy lot. They said goods are not delivered on time and their vehicles are consuming more fuel because they inch along the road, which has not been designed properly.
Mohammed Abdul Ghaffar, manager of the Sharjah-based InterGulf Land Transports, said his firm has lost 35 per cent of its business and expenses have increased by 17 per cent.
"Earlier, we made 22 trips between Abu Dhabi and Dubai a month. Now we just make 14 as drivers sometimes have to spend the night on the road because of traffic jams and the difficult terrain. Our customers are unhappy because goods are being delivered late."
Philip Jones, transport manager of Dubai-based Across Arabia, said the transportation cost has increased substantially following the new rule banning trucks from the Abu Dhabi-Dubai Highway.
"The new rule has affected our business due to the increased distance and time factor. Expenses have shot up and it has prompted us to raise the issue with our customers, whose business has also been affected."
P. Jayaraja from the operation section of Kuehne Nagel Transport said trucks were banned because many were being overloaded, damaging the highway and some drivers were overtaking, causing accidents.
"Discipline is important here. Truck drivers should observe rules. They must realise that they share the highway with others. Some drivers continue driving even during heavy fog despite repeated warnings by police. Truck owners should conduct awareness drives among their drivers and instil strict discipline."
Railway plan
Truck drivers are unhappy because of the long delays and lack of facilities on the route that winds through rough terrain. Transportation companies are troubled because they are losing business their customers are grumbling because goods are not reaching on time. Other motorists are happy that trucks are off the Abu Dhabi-Dubai highway.
So what is the solution then?
Many say there should be a railway network so that trains can carry goods to the various emirates. It will be safer and reduce congestion on the roads.
The Ras Al Khaimah Government is studying the possibilities of setting up a railway system to transport rocks and landfill aggregate from local quarries to neighbouring emirates. Also under consideration is laying an alternative road to ferry rocks.
The aim is to cut dust pollution and protect the road infrastructure, under threat by heavy vehicles. Trucks carrying rocks will eventually be banned from plying the emirate's roads. The government says the sector will not be badly affected once the decision comes into effect because of the alternative arrangements being made.
A Dubai-based company has been assigned to conduct a Dh200,000 feasibility study to set up a railway network to ferry rocks to three destinations.
The trains will carry rocks from Ras Al Khaimah to Sharjah, Dubai and Abu Dhabi. The second option is building a new road starting from Al Jazera Al Hamra to Wadi Al Tawayan. Heavy vehicles will not have to pass through the different areas of the emirate to access the Ras Al Khaimah-Dubai highway.
Joint municipality and the traffic and licensing department assessment teams have visited the site. They will submit a report on the road plan. Private and light cars will not be allowed to ply the road once constructed.
When the feasibility study of the railway network and the report on the road are ready, the project will be referred to the government for a decision.
The authorities earlier filed a report on the threats heavy vehicles cause to the infrastructure and the people and submitted it to the government.
A senior Traffic and Licencing Department officer said heavy vehicles do not adhere to safety rules and have ruined streets since rocks often fall off from vehicles, endangering lives.
Sharjah has already set up a depot to prevent trucks from driving through the city. The depot is expected to dispatch goods, including containers to the city as well as other emirates. Dubai is also expected to introduce a passenger train service.
The solution, therefore, lies in a railway network that will transport goods across the country. This will make the roads safer, protect the infrastructure and curb pollution.
Gulf News
