UAE | Traffic and Transport
Priority lanes: Right of way
More dedicated tracks for buses in the offing to improve public transport usage and increase punctuality
- By Jay B. Hilotin, Chief Reporter
- Published: 00:00 July 29, 2010
- Image Credit: Xpress / Megan Hirons Mahon
- Vehicles straying into priority lanes, such as this new one at the intersection of Mina Road and Khalid Bin Waleed Road in Bur Dubai, will be fined
Dubai: An extensive network of bus priority lanes is being planned to help boost public transport use and raise bus punctuality rates, a senior official said.
Mohammad Abu Bakr Al Hashemi, Acting CEO of the Public Transport Agency at the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority said, "These lanes are currently under study. We're evaluating the first phase (of this scheme) to see how it would benefit public transport users."
Private vehicles that stray into these bus-priority lanes could face fines. "Our target (bus punctuality level) is 75 per cent by December 2010," said Al Hashemi.
As of June 2010, the official said the punctuality level of Dubai's buses stood at 61.8 per cent, still below target, but a huge jump from a paltry 17 per cent recorded in January 2009.
Measuring punctuality
Bus punctuality is monitored by PTA's Operations and Control Centre (OCC) which uses a GPS-based tracking tool. The PTA has also teamed up with Google to upload Dubai public bus stops information on online map Google Earth to make it more user-friendly.
Al Hashemi said Dubai looks at Singapore, London and Hong Kong (posting a bus punctuality of 80 per cent or more) as a model to boost the use of public transport system even among Emiratis and tourists. "These cities use various methods such as dedicated bus priority lanes. In Dubai these lanes are still quite limited to a small part of the city - Khalid Bin Al Waleed Road and Mankhool Road. When you have a full bus-priority lane network, even in congested areas, the effect [on punctuality] will be felt more."
Al Hashemi also said that changes in the bus routes will stabilise by August 1, 2010 after analysis of journey data, field surveys and demographic profile of residents in different areas.
Did you know?
Currently about 80 per cent of Dubai's 300,000 daily bus users are Asians. Asian workers also comprise the bulk of Dubai Metro's 130,529 daily riders (as of July 1, 2010).
Buses and Trains
- Number of bus commuters has dropped to 300,000 per day this year, compared to last year’s average of 320,000 daily users
- Metro ridership, meanwhile, has jumped to a daily average of 130,529 (as of July 1, 2010), from less than 70,000 in September 2009
Comments (1)
|
More from UAE Traffic and Transport
More from UAE
Latest news
- Sharjah boy tops Indian board's class 12 exams
- Dubai number plates auction raises Dh27m
- Youngsters dance and raise cash for charity
- Dubai departments upgrade services
- Get yourself a free test for diabetes
- Ensuring a safety net for intellectual property
- Reader's issue addressed
- 5,552 illegals held in Dubai this year
- Man cleared because he took drugs in France
- Man charged with trafficking women
- Auditors to probe Mizin graft case
- Breaking down cultural barriers with photographs
- Abu Dhabi Crown Prince visits Islamic centre
- Cyber infidelity creeping out of virtual domain
- Road crashes main cause of child death in UAE
Community Reports
-
Mirror, mirror show me the way
Driver on Salam Street had so many boxes and fruits piled into car, he would not be able to view rear or right side mirrors
-
Parents should be more vigilant
Reader's picture highlights risk of negligence by caretakers
-
Warming up to ‘Mobilise the Earth' theme
Dubai school dedicates a whole week to celebrating Earth Day with can-collection drives, sapling plantation and painting competition among others
-
Drivers using mobiles put others' lives at risk
Speeding is dangerous for the driver and other motorists
