Dubai Changes Speed Limits on Five Major Roads From November 1

Dubai motorists will face new speed limits on five major road sections from November 1, with the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) and Dubai Police increasing limits on three streets and reducing them on two following an engineering and traffic review.

The changes will apply in both directions along the specified sections, and authorities say speed-limit signs will be replaced and traffic cameras reprogrammed before the new limits take effect. The adjustments are intended to align permitted speeds with road design, traffic conditions and surrounding urban development.

The largest increase will be on Al Asayel Street, where the limit will rise from 60 to 80 kilometres per hour between Oud Maitha Street and Al Meydan Street. On Al Mustaqbal Street, the limit will increase from 60 to 70 km/h along the stretch between Sheikh Rashid Street and Al Meydan Street. Latifa bint Hamdan Street will also move from 60 to 70 km/h between Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road.

Two other roads will have lower limits. Al Rebat Street will change from 100 to 90 km/h between Marrakech Street and Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, while Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Street will drop from 80 to 70 km/h between 2nd December Street and Khalid bin Al Waleed Street. The revised limits apply only to the identified sections, rather than necessarily to each road along its entire length.

The RTA announced the changes on October 21 in coordination with Dubai Police General Command, linking them to the emirate’s Traffic Safety Strategy and the 2025 action plan for evaluating road-safety performance. According to the authority, the revisions follow an engineering and technical study conducted in recent months with the involvement of an international consultant.

The review was based on updated technical specifications in the Dubai Speed Management Manual. Factors used to assess appropriate limits include traffic volumes, road design speeds, the level of urban development along a route and actual vehicle speeds, measured using the 85th-percentile speed. Pedestrian activity and the presence of other important facilities are also considered.

The mixed changes reflect the authorities’ assessment of individual road conditions rather than a uniform increase or decrease across the city. While higher limits are intended to better match certain roads’ characteristics, lower limits will apply on two sections where the review identified a need for reduced permitted speeds.

For drivers, the key practical change is to follow the updated signs once they are installed. Motorists who regularly use the affected roads should pay particular attention to Al Rebat Street and Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Street, where continuing at the former posted limit after November 1 would mean exceeding the new limit.

The changes form part of Dubai’s continuing management of its road network as traffic demand, development and travel patterns evolve. By reviewing speed limits alongside road design and safety conditions, the RTA and Dubai Police are seeking to balance the movement of vehicles with the need to reduce risks for road users across the emirate.