Almost half of the readers oppose speed cut in Dubai residential areas

A new poll has shown almost half of 7DAYS readers would not back a speed limit reduction in residential areas. Earlier this month, the World Health Organisation (WHO) recommended in a report that the UAE lower its limits and introduce seatbelt restraint laws to prevent deaths on its roads. The number of deaths has dropped to 6.31 per 100,000 but remains twice the target outlined by the UAE Vision 2021 National Agenda, which is three deaths per 100,000. To achieve the target, WHO has recommended cutting limits in some urban areas to 50kph. But while about half – 54 per cent – of 7DAYS readers polled agreed with the recommendation, 46 per cent did not. Matt Kraemer responded on the 7DAYS Facebook page: “It will cause even more accidents and traffic.” Another reader said drivers not obeying the revised limit could causing more accidents. “And when they come across someone who does, they’ll dangerously overtake them in the face of traffic coming the opposite way [residential area roads are always single-lane],” Cave Johnson added. But Shekhar Joshi welcomed the WHO recommendations and said “it should have been a question of ‘why not’” lower speed limits. But he said it would need “sturdy enforcement or a continued education toward respecting speed limit, [rather] than merely setting it up as it may not be feasible to install speed cameras in all residential areas.” megha@7days.ae