Traffic congestion in Abu Dhabi

Traffic congestion and parking problems are faced by most large cities around the world, and Abu Dhabi is no exception. In particular, parking is a major problem here in Abu Dhabi. The main overall reason for these problems in Abu Dhabi is the rapidly expanding population. More people means more drivers and thus more cars on the roads. Many of these drivers are young and inexperienced which means more accidents and more hold-ups. Another factor is Abu Dhabi's rapid economic development over the past few decades. Abu Dhabi’s wealth is based on oil and huge sums of petrodollars have financed a remarkable expansion of the city’s infrastructure: roads, bridges, tunnels, overpasses, underpasses, port facilities, banks, schools, colleges, universities, hospitals, service industries, hotels, high-rise buildings, numerous and varied construction ventures, including man-made islands such as Rheem and Sadiyat, not to mention the F1 island of Yas, with its, by now, world-famous motor racing circuit, along with Ferrari World, hotel complexes and so on.. This economic and industrial expansion has transformed the city over the past thirty or forty years; indeed Abu Dhabi is unrecognizable from what it was forty years ago. More commercialization and industrialisation inevitably means more business and so more commercial vehicles, many of them large and slow-moving. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Dhabi ) The economic expansion and consequent growth in traffic is likely to continue. Strong government spending, especially in Abu Dhabi, and improved consumer confidence will boost private consumption. Abu Dhabi plans to develop the emirate as a manufacturing hub, with the Khalifa Port & Industrial Zone providing essential infrastructure. A virtually tax-free environment and good infrastructure will lead to foreign workers returning after a fall in the expatriate population in 2009. Even if oil prices failed to reach forecast levels, ‘the Abu Dhabi government would be able to use its vast overseas investments to sustain public spending’ (http://country.eiu.com=1674940018country=UnitedArab Emirates). There are also now many more new, high-rise buildings but they haven't all been constructed with adequate parking space and this has led to massive parking problems in the business district. The fact that Abu Dhabi is an island with limited space for transport development has further added to the problem. Dubai has developed a metro system to ease traffic flow, but there is less space on the island of Abu Dhabi for a similar rail system. There is thus a massive traffic and parking problem facing the city of Abu Dhabi. What are the possible solutions? One obvious solution is to improve the existing road network by constructing more bridges, overpasses and underpasses to ease traffic flow. Another possible solution is to improve public transport, with better bus services and a new rail network, as in Dubai with its new metro. Yet another possibility is for the authorities, as in Singapore, to make motoring more expensive, through higher registration fees, restrictions on where and when motorists may use their cars, etc. Another answer often suggested is to relocate government buildings, ministries, embassies and so on off-island. There have also been reports that the authorities are planning to introduce a road-toll system in Abu Dhabi to reduce the number of cars on the road. (http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/traffic-transport/abu-dhabi-plans-to-introduce-road-toll) The first solution is already underway, an example being the recently opened underpass on Salam Street, near Khalifa Park. Roads can be, and are being, widened and improved. Similarly, public bus services have been much improved recently. A few years ago most buses in Abu Dhabi were old, poorly maintained and badly driven, but recently newer, safer, more reliable bus services have been introduced. The problem with regard to thr second possible solutiom, that of imposing greater restrictions on motorists, is that many people will see them as an attack on individual liberty and no doubt they would prove unpopular, at least to begin with. What works in Singapore will not necessarily work here in Abu Dhabi. It would be possible to introduce new legislation, for example to raise the age limit for driving licence application, increasing parking/speeding fines and so forth, but a major problem is the enforcement of such laws. There has been a recent drive to solve parking problems by introducing paid parking but there have been many complaints about the cost, fairness and effectiveness of parking permits. With regard to solving parking problems, the existing rules regarding new buildings having adequate parking space, preferably underground, must be strictly enforced. It’s of little use to have regulations if they are not rigorously enforced. As we can see, it’s easy to list possible solutions to Abu Dhabi’s traffic and parking problems but rather more difficult to ascertain which are likely to be most effective and viable. Bibliography: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Abu_Dhabi http://country.eiu.com/article.aspx?articleid=167494001&country=United Arab Emirates http://gulfnews.com/news/gulf/uae/traffic-transport/abu-dhabi-plans-to-introduce-road-toll-to-reduce-traffic-congestion-1.62014 651 words.