UAE | General
Authority working on plan to cut vehicle use in Dubai
The RTA has embarked on a comprehensive Mobility Management Programme (MMP) as part of its Strategic Plan 2020, to cut vehicle use in Dubai.
- By Ashfaq Ahmed, Chief Reporter
- Published: 00:05 July 21, 2008
- Traffic from Sharjah going towards Dubai. Many workers commuting between the two emirates spend hours in slow-moving traffic as the number of vehicles on the road increases.
- Image Credit: Gulf News Archive
Dubai: The RTA has embarked on a comprehensive Mobility Management Programme (MMP) as part of its Strategic Plan 2020, to cut vehicle use in Dubai.
Dubai is expected to have 5.3 million registered vehicles by 2020 if the current annual rate of a 17 per cent increase in the number of vehicles continues, threatening massive traffic congestion and economic losses running into billions of dirhams.
The emirate will have 5.25 million people living here by 2020 with a projected growth of 10 per cent per annum in the population. Dubai's population in 2005 was 1.3 million and it already crossed the 1.45 million mark in 2007. Going by these statistics, the number of cars in Dubai will exceed the number of people living in Dubai.
Currently an average of 541 people out of every 1,000 people own a car in the city, studies conducted by the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) reveal. The number of registered vehicles in Dubai has already touched 853,827 in 2007 compared to 739,547 - an increase of more than 114,000 vehicles.
Public transport
"We are working on a project to avert this situation and have launched various plans in order to limit the use of private cars and increase the use of public transport," said Eisa Al Dossari, Chief Executive Office of the RTA's Public Transport Agency.
Asides from the Dubai Metro project and an increase in public transport buses, the RTA has put in place the Mobility Management Plan (MMP).
He defined the MMP as an effective method of managing the growth of car use. The programme actively supports and encourages people to use sustainable modes of transport, he said.
The benefits of mobility management include reduced car use, reduced traffic congestion, reduced pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, improved public health and safety, and growth and evolvement on all fronts.
"A Mobility Management Unit at the RTA will provide the focus and co-ordination in the early stages of the delivery of the mobility management strategy for Dubai. We have so far engaged 10 leading companies in our programme to provide them with transport solutions," he said.
"Transport solutions for companies include programmes such as car-pooling, flexible working hours and company bus services. They also include the option of working from home for employees whose presence in the office is not necessary. We expect an up to 30 per cent decrease in traffic congestion, especially during peak hours if flexible working hours are adopted by both the private and public sectors, Al Dossari added.
He expects more companies to work closely with the RTA and play their role in reducing traffic congestion in the city, he added.
Al Dossari said that there were several benefits for employers and employees if they start using buses instead of private cars. They can save time and money and their productivity in the workplace will also increase as they will not experience tension driving through heavy traffic.
The RTA has also announced a Sustainable Transport Award for companies who effectively implement the mobility management programme.
The RTA will also play the role of a consultant to companies who show an interest in adopting the concept of transporting their staff on public buses.
Currently, only six per cent of people use public transport, the RTA aims to increase this figure by 30 per cent with the start of the Dubai Metro and an increase in public buses and marine transport.
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