Al Tayer: The Federal Government Strategy is manifestation of a clear vision towards distinction & leadership

It is a road map of work style and methodology for the next period that is capable of steering the UAE towards distinction and leadership at the regional and international levels.

"The infrastructure aspect of the Federal Govt. Strategy focuses on roads & transport sector, which is confronting challenges related the growing congestions in key traffic spots to a degree that exceeds the generally accepted international levels. This also comes in line with the Dubai Strategic Plan, as the Government Strategy highlighted the need for national standards to classify the roads". Al Tayer commented.

He further added, "The directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum regarding the need to conduct a comprehensive review of traffic laws, with a view to develop them and add to them deterrent punishments to violators represents the general framework on which all Ministries and concerned bodies have to move in order to ease the traffic congestion and improve traffic safety standards across the UAE. The overall traffic violations registered in the Emirate of Dubai increased from 488.000 in 2000 to 1.445 million in 2006. Excessive speed violations also rose from 292.000 to 884.000 during the same period. Such phenomenal increases; which are almost equivalent to 3 folds the original figures, are serious indicators that warrant strengthening the punishments imposed on offenders; particularly the dangerous offences such as driving the vehicle in a way that poses risks to road users, crossing the red signals, contributing to a death of an individual and exceeding the maximum speed limit by 60 km per hour".

Al Tayer stated that as a result of these violations, the number of mortalities in the Emirate hiked from 165 cases in 2000 to 312 cases in 2006. The statistics show that lack of judgment on the part of road users was the leading cause of such accidents and accounted for 30% of total number of accidents reported i.e. 543 accidents resulting in the death of 86 persons. Over-speed resulted in 148 accidents that led to the death of 44 persons and crossing the red signal was responsible for 136 accidents that led to the death of 7 individuals.

H.E. the Chairman & CEO of Roads & Transport Authority said that HH the Vice President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai pointed, in the Federal Govt. Strategy, that the traffic volume registered in some roads exceed the global standards. HH also shed light on the lack of national standards to classify the roads, citing the spreading traffic congestion phenomenon in the cities of the UAE; which comes as a result of several factors such as: the high car ownership rate, which is 451 vehicles per each 1000 persons in the Emirate of Dubai. This is viewed as a very high percentage compared to the international rates which are 57 in Hong Kong and 103 in Singapore, in addition to the sharp increase in urban construction and numbers of populations. He stated that these factors collectively lead to such large increase in the number of trips which currently reach in the morning peak hours in Dubai 350.000 trips. This number is likely to double four times to reach 1.5 million trips in the morning peak hours by 2020.

Al Tayer also mentioned that traffic bottlenecks have several negative effects that have also adverse effects on social, economic and environmental aspects. Studies carried out by RTA estimated the worth of the time lost due to traffic congestions in Dubai as AED4.6 billion per annum.

He confirmed that rectifying the high percentage of private-car ownership in particular requires taking some measures that include introducing policies and legislations capable of putting an end to this phenomenon. He concluded by emphasizing the importance of keeping up with the situation through providing integrated and balanced mass transit systems that serve all categories of the community and provide reasonable alternatives such that people will do without the semi-full reliance on the private vehicles.