The decision to ban low-speed heavy vehicles on main roads is receiving mixed reactions from the construction industry.
According to some in the industry, the move will increase the cost of transporting heavy machinery and add to the cost of construction projects.
Some welcomed the decision as a step towards reducing road accidents and traffic congestion.
The General Directorate of Abu Dhabi police recently decided to prohibit lorries, industrial and construction vehicles, excavators, tractors, cranes, road rollers and other vehicles that have a maximum speed limit of 60km/h on main roads.
Under the new law, violators will be fined Dh500 and vehicles will be seized for one month.
There is some confusion, however, about the speed limit imposed by the decision.
"If it refers to a vehicle travelling at the speed of 60km/h or more, then it will be difficult to transport heavy equipment, such as boilers, even if loaded on trailers. This kind of equipment cannot be transported by heavy trucks at 60km/h or more because of its weight," said M. Moh-sen, a supervisor of a contracting company based in Mussafah.
If it refers to a vehicle's maximum speed specified on its speedometer, then "it makes sense, and it is a good decision. It will help avoid traffic jams and reduce accidents".
Raman Marwaha of Kanoo Machinery said the decision had both positive and negative aspects.
"The positive aspect of it is it will reduce trouble on the road and help traffic flow smoothly. It will also reduce the number of accidents," he said.
The negative aspect, he said, was that it would increase the cost of transporting equipment and machinery from one site to another.
"With the scale of the current construction projects in the country, the industry needs flexibility. The decision will add a new constraint, particularly regarding the mobility of machines," Marwaha said.
Sibi Mathew of Al Shirawi Enterprises said it is a decision to be welcomed.
"This will reduce road accidents caused by such machines on the road. It will also further improve the flow of traffic. All these machines, apart from high-speed, truck-mounted cranes, should only be transported on specified carrying vehicles," he said.
The transporting of heavy machines and vehicles by loading them on trucks would also save time as they could be moved faster.
B.V. Singh, another official of a construction machinery company, said the regulation was nothing new in the industry.
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