Dubai: UAE residents can enjoy free parking during Eid Al Adha.
In Dubai, the Roads and Transport Authority has announced that all paid parking zones, except multi-level parking lots, will be free of charge from August 31, to Sept 3, said Yousef Al Rida, CEO of Corporate Administrative Support Services at RTA.
The authority has also announced the working hours of all services during the Eid Al Adha holiday, including customers’ happiness centres, public buses, Dubai Metro & Tram, marine transit modes, driving institutes, and vehicles testing & registration centres.
RTA’s Customers Happiness Centers will be closed during the Eid holidays from August 31, and will resume service on Sept 4.
Metro timings
During the Eid holiday, the Dubai Metro Red Line Stations will operate on August 31 from 5:30 am to 2:00 am (of the following day) and on September 1 from 10:00 am to 2:00 am (of the following day),” he said.
On September 2, these stations will operate from 5:50 am up to 2:00 am and on September 3 from 5:30 am up to 2:00 am. The Express Metro Service, however, will not be available on September 2.
Meanwhile, the Green Line stations will operate on August 31 from 5:50 am up to 2:00 am , on September 1 from 10:00 am to 2:00 am, and from Saturday September 2-3 from 5:50 am to 2:00 am.
Avoid gridlock
To avoid frustrating traffic gridlock in Dubai Downtown during Eid Al Adha holidays, the RTA in Dubai has created an action plan to keep private cars and mass transit flowing in Dubai Downtown, especially around Dubai Mall, a senior traffic official said on Sunday.
.@RTA_Dubai sets plan for managing traffic during Eid Al Adha holiday in #Dubai Downtownhttps://t.co/S34Vn4DoiA pic.twitter.com/fnOc5mPiBc— Dubai Media Office (@DXBMediaOffice) August 27, 2017
The RTA anticipates the number of visitors to touch around 350,000 people a day over the holiday weekend beginning on August 31.
Maitha Bin Adai, CEO of Traffic and Roads Agency, said the authority is ready for the rush.
“The plan covers Burj Khalifa district, where 30 directional signs will be installed to guide traffic and road users in several directions, be it from Oud Metha Street via Al Asayel Street, Zabeel Bridges via Happiness Street, or through the internal roads of the Business Bay to Shaikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road,” she said.
“The objective of the plan is to ease the pressure on the Financial Centre Street and ensure smooth traffic flow during peak hours. The traffic signals of the Financial Centre Street and Mohammad Bin Rashid Boulevard will be monitored and controlled to ensure seamless flow of traffic during peak times,” she said.
Commenting on the organisational procedures of bus and taxi services, Bin Adai said buses “and taxi pickup and drop-off points at Dubai Mall will be increased, furthermore the number of taxis will be raised by five per cent during peak hours compared to last year, to ensure the deployment of an additional number of cabbies.
“An extensive campaign is currently underway to ensure a safe environment within the right-of-way covering the cleaning of roads, and public areas, bridges, underpasses, and the surrounds of affiliated projects. The move is part of the efforts to engage with the community in celebrating Eid Al Adha whilst reflecting RTA’s keenness to provide a clean and serene environment thus bringing satisfaction to the city’s populace and visitors descending from the UAE and beyond during Eids and other occasions,” said Bin Adai.
Technical inspectors from the RTA will be ready to manage traffic in coordination with Dubai Police and Emaar to ensure the implementation of operational plans and the execution of the required closure of roads.
