Cutting the Speed on the Fujairah Corniche

The Fujairah Municipality is in the process of creating a speed hump on the Corniche Road in an effort to reduce the speed of motorists and make it safer for pedestrians crossing the road.

Fixed speed cameras were introduced a few years ago but with vehicles capable of rapid acceleration, these only became minor challenges to the many motorists who treat the Corniche Road like a Grand Prix circuit.

Speed Table

‘Traffic calming’ devices are a complex science. The type being installed on the Fujairah Corniche appears to be a ‘speed table’, a long speed hump with a flat section in the middle, long enough for the entire wheelbase of a car to rest on top.

Apparently the long, flat design allows cars to pass without slowing significantly as with speed humps (road bumps, speed ramps, judder bars and speed cushions). But it depends on how low-slung your car is and those with low undercarriages have to slow almost to a standstill and negotiate delicately the rise and fall.

Fortunately, warning lights have been installed and yellow paint applied to alert drivers to the bump.

Related

UAE Drivers Need Ongoing Driving Education, FIF, 14 April 2008.

UAE: The Tailgating Capital of the World, ETE, 16 October 2007.

Reducing Traffic Accidents on UAE Roads, ETE, 20 December 2007.

UAE Pedestrian Crossings: The Most Dangerous Place to Be, ETE, 20 March 2007.

What Does This Sign Mean in the UAE? ETE, 19 March 2007.

Geoff Pound

This article is also posted on the Fujairah in Focus-Facebook Page.

Image: The new speed table is operational on the side of the Corniche Road to slow the speeding cars from Kalba. The team from the Fujairah Municipality is currently at work to establish another one of the same variety on the other side to slow Kalba-bound vehicles.