Dubai: The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), which was formed in 2005 to tackle the challenges facing the traffic and road and public transport systems in Dubai amid fast urban development, has been successful in achieving its tasks during the last six years, said a senior official.
"Rapid increase in population and in number of vehicles which crossed over 1.1 million in 2010, leading to massive traffic congestion in the emirate, were some of the challenges when the RTA was formed but we overcame them successfully by providing a modern public transport system in addition to massive improvement in road infrastructure," said Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA.
He told Gulf News on the occasion of the RTA's sixth anniversary and free public transport day being observed today that the RTA has managed to complete 90 per cent of the programmes and initiatives envisioned in its strategic plan which is based on the Dubai Strategic Plan 2015.
Here are some of the major RTA's achievements which have changed the face of public transport in the emirate.
Dubai Metro
Among the defining achievements made by the RTA is the operation of the Dubai Metro Project, the longest driverless Metro project undertaken as a single project in the world. The 74km-long Metro network comprises the 51km-long Red Line and the 23km-long Green Line. The Metro gave a big boast to public transport as people from all segments of society use it now.
Roads infrastructure
During the last six years, the RTA has managed to increase the road network by 29 per cent, as the length of the roads network in the emirate has increased from 8,715km in 2005 to 11,209km in 2010. The number of bridges increased from 108 to 319 (195 per cent increase), tunnels increased by 57 per cent, and the number of lanes crossing Dubai Creek increased from 19 to 48 (153 per cent increase rate).
Some of the major projects were the 13-lane Business Bay Crossing, the new Al Garhoud Bridge with 14 lanes and the six-lane Floating Bridge, and increasing the number of lanes on Al Maktoum Bridge.
The RTA has introduced several express solutions to improve traffic movement at more than 30 locations. Several initiatives for improving traffic safety levels included running awareness campaigns, and constructing pedestrian bridges and crossings.
Mortality rates down
The efforts to enhance road safety carried out by the RTA in collaboration with Dubai Police have resulted in a reduction in the traffic mortality rate from 21.7 cases per 100,000 of population in 2007 to about 12.7 cases per 100,000 in 2009. The RTA identified 320 bases for fixing radars, and 156 bases for red signal jumping cameras.
By upgrading mass transit systems, RTA managed to improve the percentage of trips made by mass transit modes from six per cent in 2005 to 10 per cent in mid-2011, and is seeking to increase it further by 30 per cent by 2030.
More buses
The RTA deployed articulated and double-deck buses raising the number of buses to about 1,420 in 2010 from less than 500 in 2005, in addition to constructing about 900 air-conditioned bus stop shelters.
The authority also launched a Dubai ferry service and water buses and improved the traditional abra service to give a boost to marine transport services and integrate these with other modes of transport.
The RTA's Licensing Agency overhauled the car registration and licensing procedure, making it easier for motorists by launching various service channels.
