Qatar’s Traffic Department is expected to raise the speed limit on February 22nd Street back to 100km/hour, according to local media reports.

Al Raya said the change would come into effect today, but speed limits on the Doha Expressway from the Salwa Road to the Duhail interchanges continued to read 80km/hour this morning.

However, a source close to the matter told Doha News the change would be imminent.

The new 80km/hour limit took effect in January, and caught many motorists off-guard due to its overnight implementation.

At the time, officials said the reduced limit was part of a trial to see if slower speeds would ease congestion and cut the number of accidents on the road.

Complaints

In March, Brig. Mohammed Saad Al Kharji, director of the Traffic Department, said the move had helped cut the number of major accidents on the road. It also made it easier and safer for vehicles to join the main flow of traffic on the expressway from adjoining slip roads and service roads.

Al Kharji suggested at the time that the trial would run for another two years, saying that the 100 km/hr limit might be reinstated once major construction work to Al Rayyan Road is completed.

According to Ashghal, the second phase of that project is not expected to be finished until the fall of 2017.

However, it appears the trial has concluded early, and the speed limit will be raised this week largely due to calls from senior officials unhappy about the change.

In April, members of Qatar’s Advisory Council urged the traffic department to restore the original speed limit.

And in today’s report, Al Raya said the restoration of the speed limit came at the recommendation of a committee who said slower speeds were causing confusion and increasing congestion on the already busy road.

Which speed limit do you prefer? Thoughts?