22 July 2007
Dubai: A hi-tech system in which traffic lights flash green before turning to amber and then red is being tried out at junctions in Dubai.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) hopes the new signals will reduce the number of accidents at intersections.
The flashing green lights are being tried out in Jumeirah and Sufouh and are then likely to be introduced across the city. Officials say that by flashing green three times before turning to amber, the lights give motorists warning of when the lights are about to change, giving them enough time to stop. As a result, fewer drivers are likely to go through red signals.
"The driver is able to properly assess the situation, so he can either continue if he has entered the critical region, or stop if carrying on will cause danger to him and other road users," the RTA said in a statement. The RTA said driving through red lights was the main cause of accidents at intersections, with deaths and serious injury sometimes resulting.
Reducing accidents
Maitha Obaid Bin Udai, chief executive of the Roads and Traffic Agency of the RTA, said that flashing green lights were widely used in many other countries with advanced traffic management systems.
"Applying this system in Dubai is part of the RTA's efforts to improve safety and reduce the rate of traffic accidents," she added.
In construction areas, the programming of the time taken for lights to change takes into account the large number of trucks that are likely to be using an intersection, the RTA added.
By Daniel Bardsley
Gulf News 2007. All rights reserved.
