UAE | Traffic and Transport
Authority dispels fears of clogged Dubai roads
Despite scepticism expressed by a senior traffic police official, the road toll will reduce traffic congestion considerably, according to the RTA.
- By Ashfaq Ahmed, Staff Reporter
- Published: 01:20 November 2, 2007
- The road toll will be in place from July 1.
- Image Credit:
Dubai: Despite scepticism expressed by a senior traffic police official, the road toll will be in place from July 1, an official of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority confirmed.
A senior traffic police said last week that the road toll named Salik would further clog traffic rather than ease the flow.
However, an official at the Dubai Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) said that it would reduce traffic congestion by 25 per cent on the toll road.
"Dubai's road toll system will help reduce traffic by 25 per cent on the toll roads and encourage motorists to use alternative roads and public transport," said Engineer Maitha Obaid Bin Udai, Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Traffic and Roads Agency at the RTA. She said Salik will begin as planned in July, with initial toll points at Al Garhoud Bridge and at the Fourth Interchange near the Mall of the Emirates on Shaikh Zayed Road.
Alternatives
Elaborating her point, Maitha said that the toll system would not create traffic congestion.
"With the opening of the Business Bay Bridge with 13 lanes on the Dubai Creek and the expected opening of the Floating Bridge with six lanes, motorists will have more options to cross the Creek," she said.
She added Emirates Road will also have greater capacity since it is being expanded from six lanes to 12 lanes.
"The Floating Bridge alone is one of the major alternatives planned to reduce the strain on Dubai's road network and its users," Maitha said. She said the Floating Bridge has a capacity of 6,000 cars during peak hours and will reduce the traffic on Al Maktoum Bridge by 37 per cent.
She added the number of lanes over Dubai Creek will increase to 38 this year, and 45 in 2008 after the opening of the new Al Garhoud Bridge.
Share this article
More from UAE Traffic and Transport
More from UAE
Popular in UAE
-
Have your say
Living in untidy homes
Do you think that people who live in untidy homes have bad character?
Latest news
- Khalifa congratulates Karzai on re-election
- Khalifa receives congratulatory call from Talabani
- Complaints against cab drivers decline
- Camel in RAK gives birth to twins
- No hike in water, electricity rates
- Thalassaemia website 'will help educate youth'
- Saif is appointed Emiratisation chief
- Experts call for reviewing green cost of desalination
- Readers: Less water usage means less desalination
- Dubai Police open centre to combat marine pollution
- Pavement parking irks pedestrians
- Man jailed 3 years in fatal assault of colleague
- Murder: Mother gets stiffer sentence
- Traffic Prosecution adopts humanitarian step
- 'All-green' project to ease traffic flow
Community Reports
-
Pavement parking irks pedestrians
Gulf News reader calls on authorities to step in and stop car owners from invading pathways meant for safe walking
-
Faded parking lines pose a problem
Motorists could be fined for parking incorrectly even though they can hardly see the boundaries in the designated areas
-
School buses block residential parking
Commercial vehicles taking up free parking facilities in Al Wuheida, inconveniencing residents in surrounding villas
-
Community report: Doing their bit for poor children
A group of students takes concrete action to raise funds for Dubai Cares
