UAE | Traffic and Transport
Exemption for special needs persons
People with special needs and their institutions will not have to pay the Salik tolls, a senior official at the Roads and Transport Authority said.
- By Alia Al Theeb, Staff Reporter
- Published: 23:37 June 18, 2007
- Image Credit: Megan Hirons/Gulf News
- Cars pass under the Al Barsha Toll Gate heading to Dubai on Shaikh Zayed Road.
Dubai: People with special needs and their institutions will not have to pay the Salik tolls, a senior official at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said yesterday.
Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA, said special needs individuals will have to obtain a certificate from an authorised clinic in Dubai and submit it to the RTA to receive the exemption.
He also said the first article in the Salik application form has also been modified as it was causing confusion among the public. The new article states, "The RTA does not bear any responsibility of damages that occur to the user as a result of misusing the system."
Al Tayer said currently there are no plans to increase the number of toll gates. Al Tayer said that tourists who visit Dubai even for one day and plan to use the road with the Salik toll gates will have pay Dh100 for the tag.
He said if a car breaks down and is moved by a tow truck through the gates, fees will be charged for both vehicles.
Al Tayer said that taxis are monitored on how many trips they make and passengers have the right to choose passing through the gates or avoiding them. If a passenger chooses to pass through a toll gate, he or she will have to pay the fees which will be added in the taxi metre.
He said Salik tags cannot be counterfeited because they are linked to the system. If one number is wrong, the system will record it as a non-payment of fee.
If a car breaks down and is moved by a tow truck through the gates, fees will be charged for both vehicles.
Alternative routes: Floating bridge and Dubai bypass roads to be opened this month
Mattar Al Tayer said most of the alternative routes will be activated alongside with Salik. The RTA has finished the opening phase of Business Bay Crossing which has 13 lanes and the floating bridge will be opened later this month.
Salik activation will be simultaneous with the opening of Dubai bypass crossing, as well as expanding Al Maktoum Bridge and Emirates Road exits. Water taxi will also be activated and more public buses will be added.
Snippets
- Tinting on the windshield will have to be removed before installing the Salik tag.
- No government departments, including RTA, will be exempted from the fees, Al Tayer said. "I will be the first to pay the fees."
- If a car breaks down and is moved by a tow-truck through the gates, the fees will be charged for two vehicles.
- Some reporters criticised the lack of RTA's transparency regarding the revenue coming from the toll, but Al Tayer said the authority is transparent and spends more on other projects than the revenue generated from the toll.
- Although it was an open discussion, each reporter was allowed to ask one question.
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