DUBAI: Senior officials from 18 government agencies left their cars at home or at the Metro stations to join the third edition of Dubai's Car-Free Day (CFD) along with an estimated 3,500 public-sector workers who made a symbolic shift from guzzlers to public transport on Wednesday.
The festive event kicked off at 7.45am from Etisalat Metro station on Dubai Metro's Green Line, picking up more officials and rank-and-file workers with each stop. After alighting from the Union Square station some 18 minutes later, officials unveiled an open-air exhibit showing green vehicles, including a Tesla electric super-car, a Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf as well as the Prius, Cayenne and BMW hybrids.
Vehicles powered by compressed natural gas and bio-diesel were also displayed — a tribute to Dubai's green transport cred-entials. Dubai Municipality Director General, Engr Hussain Nasser Lootah, who spearheaded the event, said: "I appreciate their [participants] enthusiasm for this eco-friendly initiative."
Dubai's CFD helped curb an estimated 11 tonnes of CO2 emissions, a drop in the bucket compared to the 62,295 tonnes of emissions from transport vehicles recorded in the emirate in 2010.
Mohammad Abdul Karim Julfar, the civic body's Assistant Director General, said he happily leaves his Range Rover behind even on a non-CFD. "The train is good when I want to avoid traffic in congested areas. No driving hassles and no parking problems." Jameel Hashmi, head of the municipality's Al Twar Centre Building, said he avoids Dh16 in daily Salik charges and huge petrol costs when he leaves his V8 Cadillac Escalade in his Jumeirah home to get to work. "I just need an extra half an hour when taking public transport. It's a good way to exercise."
Tala Nimri, who works with the projects section, said in the winter Metro is a "cool" choice. "I've used it since its launch in September 2009. But it's a challenge during the hot summer months." The Metro has apparently become a victim of its own success, with some staff switching back to cars due to rush-hour overcrowding.
"I used to take the Metro to work and back daily for a year," said Gaith Rashid Al Gaith, a structural engineer with the municipality's Building Department. "From my Sharjah home, I would drop my car at Rashidiya station and take the train to Union Square station." But months ago, Al Gaith switched back to his Lexus ES300. "The train is packed during the rush hour period." Lootah said they hope all government and private organisations would observe CFD in future. Over 2,000 cities observe CFDs worldwide.
