E 30 is one of the main roads of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The road connects the city of Abu Dhabi and Al Ain. It is colloquially called Abu Dhabi-Al Ain Truck Road, but is officially named Al Rawdah Road. and is approximately parallel with E 22 - Al Ain Road.[2][3]
Uses
Being intended as a truck route,[4] It mostly serves trucks and therefore has a lower speed limit of 80 km/h[5] (as opposed to other freeways, including the E 22, with a speed limit of 160 km/h[6]). However, the speed limit is not strictly enforced.[7] 29% of the vehicles using the E 30 are lightweight vehicles, which account for 73% (43) of the 59 accidents from 2014 to 2017.[8]
The E 30 is the main link for trucks carrying goods from western UAE (i.e. Abu Dhabi) to the border of Oman, as E 30 merges to E 40 at western Al Ain, 42km from the border between the UAE and Oman.
Accidents
Accidents are relatively common on E 30, with 1,065 injuries and fatalities reported from 2009 to 2013.[1] Accidents also tend to be more severe on E 30, with an average severity rate of 34, 21% higher than the average in UAE (28).[8]
One of the most famous accidents involving the highway happened on 4 February, 2013, in which 24 workers died and 24 were injured in a collision between a bus and a train near Al Rawda Palace 35 km from Al Ain.[9] The road was compared with a Russian roulette, a term metaphorically used to describe a very dangerous game of chance.[7]