The Gulf Traffic Awards recognised the best in the region in road infrastructure and transport at a gala dinner attended by road, rail, parking and public transport professionals.

The award which attracted 70 nominations in seven categories, was judged by an independent panel of international judges, and took place at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre.

Abu Dhabi Municipality were the winners, taking home two awards – the first for its ‘flashing green lights’ project in the Changing Driver Behaviour for Road Safety category, which warns drivers at traffic lights when traffic signals are about to change, a statement from the event organisers said.

The second award was in the Green Initiative category for its ‘Salam Street Public Realm Sustainability’ project – a new stretch of road for vehicles and pedestrians that has the capacity to carry 12,000 vehicles per hour, easing traffic congestion and cutting down emissions from vehicle exhaust.

Sharing the award in this category was Ruud Lighting, for supplying the ‘LED Luminaires’ lights along Salam Street, saving 50 per cent in energy costs, and reducing carbon footprint.

Anthony Pearce, honorary life member and former director general of the International Road Federation, and one of the judges last night said: “The Gulf Traffic Awards showcases the most important contributions to the environment and innovations in infrastructure, traffic management, and parking management over the last two years in the Gulf region, the statement said.

“Improvements in road safety are crucial and the awards recognise the most important contributions in terms of infrastructure projects, vehicle innovation, and changing driver behaviour,” Pearce said.

Other notable winners include Dhabi Department of Transport for its ‘road service patrol’ project in the Innovation in Traffic Management Award category; and Traffic Tech for ‘Salwa Truck Weigh Stations’ project in Qatar for the Infrastructure Project for Improving Road Safety Award category, it said.

Traffic Tech built and operated six truck weigh stations as part of the Salwa Highway ITS project – increasing traffic safety and reducing road maintenance cost through prevention of accidents and road damage caused by overloaded vehicles.

Introduced in 2009, the Gulf Traffic Awards have become an integral part of the Gulf Traffic Exhibition and Conference, which opened on Monday.  The exhibition highlights the latest cutting edge innovations, solutions, products and services from more than 200 of the world’s leading traffic and transport infrastructure suppliers.

The two-day conference, which concludes today, addresses the challenges in road safety and Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in the Gulf region.

Supported by Dubai Police, Gulf Traffic is held under the patronage of His Excellency Lt General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, commander-in-chief of Dubai Police. – TradeArabia News Service