Dubai: Motorists will be slapped with a Dh600 fine if they drive on the dedicated road lanes for buses and taxis, to be introduced in Dubai from May 1 this year.
"Private motorists will not be allowed to drive on the dedicated bus and taxi lanes round-the-clock and the police will start issuing fines from May 15 after a comprehensive education campaign for the first two weeks," Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, deputy commander-in-chief of Dubai Police said.
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He was speaking at a press conference held yesterday by Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to announce the introduction of dedicated bus and taxi lanes on selected roads in Dubai.
He said there would be a complete ban for motorists to drive in dedicated lanes, but the police would monitor the situation for at least three months to consider any amendments in the road usage.
Nevertheless, police, ambulances and civil defence vehicles are allowed to use the dedicated lanes. Private motorists are, however, allowed to use the dedicated lanes to access and exit from side roads or to take U-turns.
The dedicated bus lanes will be introduced on parts of Mankhool Road, Khalid Bin Waleed Road, Al Ghubaiba Road and Al Khaleej Road. The total length of the dedicated lanes will be around 5.6 kilometres.
"The roads have been selected after comprehensive survey of the public transport system and the congested areas. Similar lanes will be introduced in other areas in the next phases," said Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA. He said the RTA and the police would jointly implement the new project.
Reserved roads
- Mankhool Road between Satwa Roundabout and Shaikh Rashid Road.
- Al Khaleej Road between intersection with Khalid Bin Waleed Road and Al Musallah Road near Hyatt Regency Hotel.
- Khalid Bin Waleed Road from intersection with Al Mina Road to Road 16.
- Al Ghubaiba Road from the intersection with Al Mina to Road 12 near Al Ghubaiba Bus Station.
Next phase
Naif Road n Al Ittihad Road (under study) n All roads linking the Metro stations n Omar Bin Khitab Road.
Will this encourage you to use public transportation? Do you think this will help in reducing traffic? What stops you from using the bus? Tell us.
