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RobBrady
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 Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 11:07 am Post subject: Dubai Speed Cameras to Double up as Crook Catchers |
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Dubai has started installing hundreds of new speed cameras on Sheikh Zayed Road, Dubai's main artery and the home to most of the United Arab Emirates' famed skyscrapers. The system will eventually more than double the current 232 cameras in action across Dubai and spread out to cover further highways.
According to Salam Hafez of The National, UAE police have confirmed the green and blue cameras will not only take still photographs of speeding motorists but will also capture film footage for use as criminal evidence.
In March this year, one of the worst road accidents in the UAE’s history involved approximately 200 vehicles on the Sheikh Zayed Road. Thick fog caused a series of accidents. It was reported that 3 people were killed and 277 injured, many seriously.
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Last edited by RobBrady on Tue Dec 16, 2008 1:50 pm; edited 1 time in total |
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pcaouolte
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| Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 1:44 pm Post subject: Re: Dubai Speed Cameras to Double up as Crook Catchers |
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| RobBrady wrote: | | ...in thick fog caused by the series of accidents. |
Did the accidents cause the fog or the other way round?
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RobBrady
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| Posted: Tue Dec 16, 2008 1:51 pm Post subject: |
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That wasn't very clear was it! Thanks for pointing it out Paul, now clarified 
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sensei121
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| Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 8:56 pm Post subject: Dubai |
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| when I was out in Dubai last year and they were hit with a bit of fog the driver of the Taxi we were in didnt even know how to switch on his fog lights or demister in the car!!! we had to show him as he didnt have a clue what these extra buttons on his dash did, and I think thats pretty much standard for Dubai where nearly 90% of the population are expatriates from all over the world, mainly the sub-continent where fog is not usually a problem, so when fog hits Dubai combined with a lot of drivers with little sense disaster strikes very quickly!!! anyone who has been to Dubai and experienced the standard of driving there knows exactly what I mean!! |
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pcaouolte
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| Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 9:02 pm Post subject: |
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I can't imagine that cameras will be very effective in detecting poor driving through thick fog. 
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DennisN
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| Posted: Wed Dec 17, 2008 9:20 pm Post subject: |
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What's happened to the climate out there? When I spent two years in the gulf 48 years ago, there was never a suggestion of fog. It did rain once though (for five minutes). Every driver blew his horn every couple of seconds, even on a completely empty road. Nearly got me killed stepping off the pavement when I got back home to silent cars!
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MrGumby
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| Posted: Fri Dec 19, 2008 12:12 pm Post subject: |
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| DennisN wrote: | | What's happened to the climate out there? When I spent two years in the gulf 48 years ago, there was never a suggestion of fog. It did rain once though (for five minutes). Every driver blew his horn every couple of seconds, even on a completely empty road. Nearly got me killed stepping off the pavement when I got back home to silent cars! |
When we lived in Dubai for several years in the mid-90s, we saw fog a number of times, not to mention a couple of dozen wet days per year including some of the fiercest thunder storms we've ever witnessed. And then there were the sand storms. I wouldn't risk going there on holiday in Dec/Jan and probably not Feb.
As for driving standards, they're like those across most of the Middle East - appalling. The Sheikh Zayed Road had four lanes each way with a narrow shoulder to both sides of each carriageway. I remember once, while driving along there in heavy traffic at 160 kph (the limit was 140 but cameras fired only at 160+), a 911 went past me at much greater speed on one shoulder, a Ferrari racing it soon after on the other shoulder.
It was unusual to go out and not witness an accident or its aftermath. Arabs liked nothing better than playing dangerous games such as forcing drivers (especially women drivers) to go all the way round a roundabout instead of taking their exit. Many of the locals were above the law.
At least constant horn blowing had pretty much stopped in the UAE, unlike many northern ME cities, notably Cairo. Compared with Cairo, where cars were treated like dodgems, driving in Dubai was a piece of cake! |
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RobBrady
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| Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2008 10:55 am Post subject: |
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| pcaouolte wrote: | | I can't imagine that cameras will be very effective in detecting poor driving through thick fog. |
It looks as if they might be!
From today's National
"Lt Col Saif Muhair al Mazroui, the acting director of the Dubai Police traffic department, said: “The new radars are digital and work by laser technology. They are highly sensitive and precise, and do not flash normally. During night time, the radars will only flash if there is very poor visibility on the roads; if it was foggy, for example."
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pcaouolte
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| Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2008 6:23 pm Post subject: |
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| RobBrady wrote: | | During night time, the radars will only flash if there is very poor visibility on the roads; if it was foggy, for example." |
I would expect a flash during fog to be very similar to having your headlights on main beam. The result should be a good picture of the fog.
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RobBrady
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| Posted: Wed Dec 24, 2008 7:44 pm Post subject: |
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They could be using Dmist technology or similar. Not sure how effective it is in thick fog though.
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