RTA committed to sustainable solutions to traffic problems, says officials

The officials also assured that the price of tickets for the metro will be reasonable and within the reach of all classes of people in Dubai.

The senior officials from the RTA who participated in the Majlis, held by Dubai Press Club as part of its Ramadan activities, included Abdul Muhsin Younes, Executive Director, Strategy and Corporate Governance, Engineer Abdul Majid Al Khajah, Executive Director, Metro Division, Engineer Isa Al Dusari, Executive Director, Transport Division and other senior officials.

During the discussion which saw a serious exchange of views between the officials and the press, the RTA officials said the system of Salik had already eased traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road and distributed traffic across alternative routes. The introduction of Salik has also resulted in reduction in the number of trips that people take on the main highways, in addition to increasing the average speed on Shekh Zayed Road by 30-40%, they pointed out.

Explaining the various steps taken by the Authority since its inception, the officials said the future strategy of the RTA would focus on six pivotal areas - expansion of the roads network, popularization of the public transport system, new means of transport, phasing out of old vehicles from the roads, reduction of traffic accidents and environmental pollution.

Drawing attention to the latest steps taken by RTA to put in place a better public transport system, the officials said that there were efforts being made to turn water transport system into a viable means of transport for the people in an environment-friendly manner.

Around 2500 buses will be on the roads by 2010, an increase of 331%. We are also working on making water taxis a feasible and evironment-friendly means of transport for the people, they added.

Pointing out the increase in vehicular traffic in Dubai, Abdul Muhsin Younes said while it reached as high as 13% in Dubai, the percentage of increase in other countries in the world hardly went beyond 2-3% annually, making the case of Dubai exceptional and difficult to tackle.

"This is in addition to the increase in population, which goes up 6% per annum, while it never goes above 2% in other major cities of the world,"

Younes added.

Abdul Hamid Al Khaja revealed that 90% of the work on the red line had already been completed for the metro and the organization is all set for the formal testing of the system. "We are ready and are waiting for the higher authorities to set a date for the formal testing. Apart from 90% of the red line, 60% of work has been completed on the green line as well.

The officials emphasized that the RTA was committed to finding sustainable solutions to the problems of heavy traffic, road accidents and environmental pollution in the most holistic manner possible. To that end, there are also steps being considered to reduce the number of people who own vehicles. These steps will drastically change the traffic scene in the country in the next two to three years, they assured.