RTA Launches “Accepted Fasting, Safe Road” Campaign

Starting early August 2010, the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) rolled out Accepted Fasting & Safe Road Campaign to educate drivers on the appropriate methods of averting traffic accidents; which tend to increase in numbers during the holy month of Ramadan.

Engineer Hussain Al Banna, Director of Traffic, RTA Traffic & Roads Agency, congratulated the public on the advent of the holy month of Ramadan, and stated that the main focus of Accepted Fasting & Safe Road Campaign was to address the changes accompanying Ramadan such as the sleepless nights and fatigue impacting the attitudes of motorists, and reiterated RTA’s commitment to ensure the safety of road users and educate them during public events throughout the year.

Al Banna reflected on last Ramadan (2009); which had seen 239 traffic accidents that resulted in 16 fatalities; a 12% drop in fatality rate and 20% drop in traffic accidents compared to the previous Ramadan; which witnessed 298 traffic accidents resulting in 18 mortalities. “We hope not to have any traffic mortality this Ramadan, particularly noting that Ramadan this year coincides with the summer where many families are still having their annual vacations abroad,” commented Al Banna.

He continued: “The afternoon period, which witnesses the end of the working hours in many public & private institutions, accounts for the biggest share of traffic accidents & fatalities compared to other hours of Ramadan day. Statistics reveal that the afternoon (between 01:00 pm and 03.00 pm) accounts for 18% of the accidents recorded during other times of the day as it witnessed 44 traffic accidents resulting in 3 fatalities out of 16 death cases, and 52 injuries out of a total of 206 injuries”.

“The change in the sleeping and working habits impairs the focusing ability of fasting motorists; which is clearly manifested in the time of returning home where concentration drops to the minimum, thus impacting the ability of drivers to take appropriate decisions in time. Hence motorists need to exercise more caution when travelling from and to their homes to avoid traffic accidents,” noted Al Banna.

“The Campaign, which targets all motorists, is run in cooperation with Emirates National Oil Company (ENOC) where Ramadan awareness leaflets are distributed in all ENOC stations as well as other locations in cooperation with RTA’s strategic partners, driving institutes and some auto dealers & tire companies. The Campaign uses all available media channels to deliver awareness messages to the public such as RTA’s Variable Message Signs, releases & awareness flashes in radios and local papers, and the distribution of the campaign’s printed leaflet in RTA’s customer service centers, vehicles testing & registration centers and some public transport stations in Dubai,” added Al Banna.

RTA’s Director of Traffic urged motorists to take sufficient rest before driving and advised them to stop to take a break if they feel exhausted, drowsy or yawning frequently, pointing out that a brief break might help the driver complete his journey.

He also called on drivers who hear Maghreb Azan while driving to stop at the nearest petrol station or grocery to take a light Iftar – even if it simply consists of water and few dates – before resuming travelling.

Al Banna noticed that most traffic accidents that usually take place during Ramadan were attributed to the lack of leaving safe distance between vehicles. Therefore he called on every motorist to leave a sufficient distance from the vehicle ahead and to turn on the vehicle’s air conditioner as the hot weather gives a feeling of fatigue & exhaustion. He concluded his remarks asking drivers to ensure that the seat-back is in an upright position and have their heads up to ensure correct posture while driving.

RTA Accomplishes Construction Of All Phases Of Dubai Bypass Road Project

Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji: H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), announced that RTA has completed construction of all phases of the Dubai Bypass Road, stretching from the environs of Sharjah Emirate at Al Sajaa Interchange and terminating at the exit point from Dubai Emirate to Abu Dhabi Emirate, in a 70 km-long sector constructed at a cost in excess of one billion dirham. He stated that the contractor was making the final touches of the final Phase IV, which stretches from the R/A at the intersection with Jebel Ali – Al Hebab Road up to the entry point of Abu Dhabi Emirate. The Dubai Bypass Road is set to link up with Al Faya Road, known as Trucks Road, in Abu Dhabi in the third quarter of this year.

"The Dubai Bypass Road is a key traffic corridor in the structural roads network plan undertaken by the RTA and offers an alternative motorway to Emirates Road and Sheikh Zayed Road as it provides an external corridor for motorists inbound from Northern Emirates and outbound to Abu Dhabi Emirate and vice versa without having to go through downtown area. By opening Phase IV, RTA has completed the opening of all phases of the Road which comprises 6 lanes in each direction," said Al Tayer.

Al Tayer continued: "In view of the immense nature of the project and as RTA was keen on accelerating the delivery of the project, it had been divided into four phases. Phase I started from Al Rawiyya R/A at Dubai – Al Ain Rd to Jebel Ali – Al Hebab Rd, with a total length of 24 km. It also included the construction of an express way of six lanes in each direction at a cost of 363 million dirham.

"Phase II started from the outskirts of the Dubai and Sharjah emirates at Al Sajaa Interchange to Al Rawiya Interchange at the Dubai – Al Ain Rd in a sector extending 23 km costing 295 million dirham. This Phase included the widening of the existing road from two to six lanes in each direction and fitting it with internal and external shoulders separated by the existing median. It also included transforming the R/A of the intersecting Al Khawaneej Road into an interchange allowing free movements in all directions as well as the construction of rainwater drainage system, utility lines conduits and camel crossing as well as improving the existing road elements such as the median, metal rail, safety fence and lighting works.

"Phase III included the construction of Al Qudrah Bridge on the Dubai Bypass Road, which comprises three lanes in each direction, in a sector stretching from Umm Suqeim Road in the direction of Al Qudrah (Endurance) area and Bab Al Shams and vice versa, costing 96 million dirham. Al Qudrah Bridge is considered one of the key phases of the six lanes Dubai Bypass Road, a key corridor of Al Qudrah Road and a continuation of the Umm Suqeim Road passing through the Arabian Ranches Interchange across the Emirates Road. Al Qudrah Bridge provides the users of the Dubai Bypass Road and Al Qudrah Road free movement in all directions. Motorists inbound from Umm Suqeim and outbound to Sharjah Emirate, and those coming from Al Qudrah area heading towards Abu Dhabi Emirate, can use the surrounding tunnels underneath the Dubai Bypass Road, which have been opened earlier to enable turning on the Dubai Bypass Road.

"The final Phase IV of the Dubai Bypass Road, which was constructed at a cost of 289 million dirham, comprised the construction of a dual expressway of six lanes in each direction extending from Jebel Ali – Al Hebab Road to the outreaches of Abu Dhabi Emirate in a sector extending 25 km and linking up with Al Maktoum International Airport and Dubai Industrial City to accommodate the projected traffic movements in this road. It also included the construction of 3 camel crossings that can also be used as turning points in addition to rainwater drainage canals, utility lines conduits, metal rails, safety fence and lighting works," said Mattar Al Tayer.

RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director concluded his statement saying: "RTA will continue upgrading several key and arterial projects in the Dubai Emirate as part of an integrated road-widening plans under a strategy aiming to provided advanced services to residents as well as practical & all-inclusive solutions that ensure seamless traffic flow and realization of RTA vision of providing Safe & Smooth Transport for All in the Emirate.

Emirates On The Road And In The Air In Africa

Emirates is hitting the road in Africa to lift the profile of its expansion plans on the continent.

Events will be held in South Africa and Angola, countries where Emirates is launching new routes this year. Flights to Durban start on October 1st, while services to the Angolan capital of Luanda begin on October 25th.

The main thrust of the road show activities comes from Emirates Holidays, the tour operating arm of Emirates, whose road show will cover more than a dozen towns and cities across South Africa between July 22nd and August 23rd.

Emirates Holidays, equipped with its 2009/10 brochure, A World of Choice, will be promoting its 120 destinations in key shopping malls and briefing travel agents throughout the country.

The Emirates’ Holidays road show kicked off in Durban on July 22nd and takes in places such as Umhlanga, Pietermaritzburg, Port Elizabeth, Knysna, George, Cape Town, Polokwane and Bloemfontein, before wrapping up in Johannesburg a month later.

Despite the world’s economic difficulties, the tour operating arm of Emirates has experienced an increase in year on year sales and South Africa is one of the strongest performing markets, both inbound and outbound. The launch of daily flights to Durban will supplement a daily service into Cape Town and a triple daily into Johannesburg.

John Felix, Senior Vice President, Emirates Holidays, said: "South Africa is one of our top revenue markets and its important for us to get out there and reinforce our brand presence. It’s also an opportunity for us to relationship build, make new contacts and fine-tune our products based on market feedback so we can ensure that our customers are getting the very best service and value for money. A road show of this size is particularly significant in these tougher economic times and very much demonstrates our commitment to the industry, our partners and our clients."

On the airline side, the final touches are being put to plans to bring together more than 1,000 travel industry representatives for a major road show event in Durban on July 27th. The high-profile gathering will generate the usual Emirates’ buzz, introducing the airline to the coastal city alongside top entertainment, ahead of the first flight from Dubai on October 1st.

Meanwhile, to the northwest in Angola, Emirates is working on a launch event in Luanda, which will celebrate the arrival of the carrier in the Angolan capital on October 25th. Top travel industry figures, business partners and senior government officials are expected to attend to mark the three flights a week service.

Nigel Page, Emirates’ Senior Vice President, Commercial Operations, Americas & Africa, said: "Africa has played an increasing role in the expansion of Emirates since we launched flights to Cairo back in 1986. With its burgeoning commercial activity and rapid development, we look forward to further exciting work on the continent, while at the same time playing our part in supporting Africa’s economic growth."

Emirates SkyCargo will provide assistance on both routes with the belly hold of passenger aircraft being used to transport a range of mostly consumer commodities in and out of the trade-rich continent.

The carrier has been gradually strengthening its services across Africa. In February this year, Emirates went double daily to Lagos, while the Nairobi route will be boosted with an extra weekly flight from August 1st. On the same day, daily flights to Tunis and Tripoli become de-linked.

In all, 16 passenger and cargo destinations are currently served in Africa. They are: Abidjan, Accra, Addis Ababa, Cairo, Cape Town, Casablanca, Dar es Salaam, Eldoret, Entebbe, Johannesburg, Khartoum, Lagos, Lilongwe, Nairobi, Tripoli and Tunis.

Mr Page added: "It’s highly significant that Africa is the only continent where Emirates has announced new routes for this year, despite the challenging industry conditions. We also have around 4,000 Africans amongst the 140 or so nationalities employed across the Emirates Group."

Since establishing itself as an airline in 1985, Emirates has mushroomed into a major player on the international travel and tourism stage. More than 50 brands now make up the Emirates Group including Emirates Holidays, Emirates SkyCargo, Emirates Hotels & Resorts, Skywards and Dnata.

Technogym Joins Hands With The ’Road To Awareness Bike Ride 2009’

As part of Starwood Hotels & Resorts divisional fundraising campaign titled Road to Awareness Bike Ride 2009; Technogym creates a wellness competition at the lobby of Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel & Towers on Saturday, 25th July, 2009 for charity with the aim of raising funds for the street children of Egypt.

On the day, the competition will commence at 11am until 4pm. All participants will get to enjoy healthy snacks and summer coolers throughout the day from Sheraton Dubai Creek Hotel & Towers.

The competition will be run by Technogym equipment on Treadmills, Bikes, Flexability and Wellness tools. Technogym will also provide the Aspiration map online program for all the participants and visitors to learn more about their aspiration. Furthermore, exciting wellness prizes will be offered to the 3 fastest biking winners.

Christian Dietrich, Managing Director, Technogym Emirates, “Technogym is proud to join hands and offer its support to the “Cycle for Life” social cause through wellness. This goes in plans with our continuous efforts to engage in charitable initiatives. We hope this will be an eventful and energizing day for everyone”.

Other highlights of the “Cycle for Life” day are the prizes and raffle draws lined up throughout the day for participants including weekend stays, meals at the hotel’s signature restaurants and massage treatments. For bargain seekers out there, there will also be a silent auction taking place within the day with items up for grabs such as two (2) flight tickets to ANY destination by Qatar Airways which will be auctioned off from a base price of AED500, one-year membership at the Creek Health Club, weekend stay in the hotel suite, and so much more.

The 2009 edition of the Road to Awareness Campaign is being planned to build on last year’s successful ride in partnership with UNICEF, with another 3-day ride of 360 km from 4th to 6th September 2009 that will take a group of cyclists comprising of Starwood’s senior management from the EAME divisional office, over some of the most legendary climbs in the French Pyrenees.

The 2009 Road to Awareness will have an objective to raise at least US$150,000 to support a UNICEF project focused on helping Street Children in Egypt. The main objective of this UNICEF project is to provide social, medical and psychosocial support to 2,000 street children in Greater Cairo and protect them from violence, abuse and risky behaviors. Check out http://www.roadtoawareness.com for more information.

Registration for “Cycle for Life” begins on the day at 11.00AM and it is open throughout the day until late afternoon. Participation fee is AED100 per person which goes towards the Road to Awareness fund. “Cycle for Life” is open to public. For more information, please contact 04 207 1406 / 04 207 1455.