Dubai Fourteen winners selected from among 93 submissions were yesterday bestowed the fourth Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport (Dast) 2011 by Shaikh Hamdan Bin Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council.

The award, instituted by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), aims to motivate public and private sector participation in efforts to reduce traffic congestion and thereby conserve the environment.

Shaikh Hamdan, flanked by Mattar Al Tayer, chairman of the board and executive director of the RTA, honoured winners in various categories.

A short video about Dast and Dubai’s efforts to conserve the environment was also screened at the awards ceremony, held at the Dubai World Trade Centre.

Al Tayer said that the awards had attracted a record number of entries, with the 93 submissions a strong indication of the growing rapport between the public and private sectors for the cause and their keenness to contribute positively in the interest of the community and environment. He also noted that the quality of entries had improved tremendously in a short span of four years.

“The efforts of the Dubai Government, represented by the RTA, in improving the infrastructure of the transport sector have proved successful and effective. The public transport means in Dubai are becoming vital for the daily movement of residents and visitors. The number of public transport users in 2011 has surpassed 346.5 million persons, and the daily ridership of mass transit systems clocked 963 thousands persons last year,” Al Tayer said.

Speaking after accepting the award, Ahmad Mohi Al Deen, deputy general manager of operations of ETA Ascon, said that the company’s efforts in sustainability had helped it save Dh16 million annually. “The project we designed helped us cut down the use of 450 vehicles out of our fleet of 2,200 vehicles and also 1 million kilometres of road exposure.”

Speaking at the event, Dr Nada Anid, Dean of School of Engineering and Computing Sciences, New York Institute of Technology (NYIT), said: “Sustainability is both a social and a corporate responsibility. While it requires environmental policies and government commitment, sustainability brings economic opportunity and is ideal for private sector investments and private public partnerships in areas that will enhance the quality of life in the UAE in sectors including energy, agriculture, urban planning and, of course, sustainable transport.”

Commenting on the recently unveiled UAE Strategy for Green Development announced by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Prime Minister and Vice-President of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, Dr Anid said that it would “put UAE at the forefront of innovation in sustainability and will transform the UAE into a hub for the creation and export of green products and technologies, while ensuring a long-term economic growth and sustainable development”.

“Dast doesn’t encourage just ideas, but looks at accomplished projects that have had proven results that have impacted the community,” said Dr Khalid Mohammad Al Zahid, chairperson of Dast Higher Organising Committee, adding that the relevance of the award lies in the fact that collective efforts are required to bring about substantial changes.

Al Tayer presented a commemorative trophy to Shaikh Hamdan at the conclusion of the awards ceremony in recognition of his support for the initiative. The sponsors of the event were also honoured at the event.

“We’re very conscious of the part we have to play in minimising our carbon footprint, and we believe that, by supporting Dast, we are able to make a significant, positive step towards a cleaner environment for the UAE,” Osman Sultan, CEO, du, one of the sponsors said.

Winners

Mobility Management category

First - DP World for the Automatic Gate system project

Second - ETA Ascon, Dubai for the Excellence in Mobility Assembly project

Third - Emirates NBD for Employee Sustainable Mobility initiative

Transport Safety category

First - Emirates Gas for the Safety Enhancement Programme in transporting LPG cylinders

Second - TNT Express for the Road Safety Management System project

Third - Total for the Integrated Sustainable Road Safety Methodology project.

Environment Conservation category

First - Emirates Transport (Dubai Branch) in the Conversion of Vehicles to use Natural Gas project

Second - Neutral Fuels and McDonald’s UAE for the Converting of McDonald’s Transport and Logistics Fleet to 100 per cent use of bio-fuel

Third - Centre of Waste Management-Abu Dhabi for the Recycling of Tyres project.

Disabled Mobility category

First - Fujairah Rehabilitation Centre for the Disabled for the Safe Arrival initiative

Second - Social Services Department (Sharjah Elderly House) for the Deployment of a Dedicated and Equipped Bus for the Elderly project to transport the elderly from their homes to their destination.

School Transport category

First - Gulf Indian High School for the Safety Formula equals Provision of Secure and Sustainable School Transport project

Second - Al Mustaqbal School in Abu Dhabi for My Bus My Library ..the Book is Friend project

Special Honour category

Society of Engineers for the best media coverage.

RTA’s journey from 2006 to 2011

  • A seven-fold reduction in road accident fatality rate
  • The implementation of plans that have lead to a 67 per cent increase in public transport share (from 6 to 10 per cent)
  • A 60 per cent increase in the number of passengers (a jump from 163 to 252 million passengers) using various public transport modes: buses, Metro, marine and Dubai taxi, due to policies that encourage the use of public transport including dedicated bus lanes and road pricing schemes (Salik), e-services, and mParking transactions
  • Improvements to the rail system, advanced water transport systems like waterbuses, water taxis and ferries
  • Wide-scale testing of hybrid vehicles and Euro 4 and 5 specification bus engines.