Dubai: In a major shake-up of traffic movement around Jumeirah, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has revealed that both Al Wasl Road and Jumeirah Road will soon have one-way traffic.

As part of the traffic improvement plan, Mattar Al Tayer, director-general and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, revealed that traffic on Dubai’s Al Wasl and Jumeirah roads will move in a single direction, with each road having four lanes moving clockwise. The time frame for implementing the new move has not been specified.

According to the plan, which was approved last year by His Highness Shaikh Mohammad Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, the traffic on Al Wasl Road will flow in the direction of Jebel Ali and on Jumeirah Road in the direction of 2nd December Road, says the RTA statement.

Al Tayer revealed the plan yesterday along with a host of other traffic-related details at a recent meeting between top official of RTA and Dubai Police.

Though it is not clear when the plan will be rolled out, it is likely that the project will be implemented once the Dubai Canal is ready.

The other traffic improvement projects include a new system to clear post-accident traffic faster on Shaikh Zayed Road.

The system, which is on trial, is being put in place by RTA in coordination with Dubai Police, in an attempt to manage traffic accidents in a better and more efficient manner.

The project aims at minimising the impact of accidents on traffic and restoring traffic movement back to normal as quickly as possible.

The project will be on trial for six months on a portion of Shaikh Zayed Road, following which the experiment will be assessed in terms of its efficiency in tackling accidents and reducing their negative impact on traffic. The details of the new traffic system will be revealed soon.

Al Tayer said that if the results are good then the system will be implemented on other roads as well.

During the meeting, Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Dubai Police Chief, and Al Tayer discussed the improvement of Al Wasl and Jumeirah Roads Project, improvement of roads around International City, Route 2020 Project for extending the Red Line of the Dubai Metro to the World Expo site as well as safety issues of the Dubai Tram.

Officials from both authorities also discussed ways to step up safety of roads and mass transit means in the emirate.

Discussions also covered improvement of roads around International City, where entry and exit points of the neighbourhood, especially at Al Aweer and Al Manama Roads, were examined.

The project will be undertaken in two phases; the first covers the improvement of Al Aweer Road and bridges leading to International City, and the second covers the improvement and widening of Al Manama Road.

The delegation of Dubai Police reviewed the details of the Route 2020 Project involving the extension of the Red Line of the Dubai Metro from Nakheel Harbour and Towers Station to the Expo site in a sector stretching 15km, 11km on an elevated track and 4km on an underground track.

The Transport Security Department at Dubai Police will assess the security requirements of the project in order to ensure a suitable working environment for security personnel considering the lessons learnt from the Dubai Metro and Tram projects.

The meeting also reviewed measures taken by RTA at three vital junctions of the Dubai Tram where the Tram’s movement overlaps with vehicular movement with a view to raising the safety level of the tram, vehicles and pedestrians.