RTARTA

More than a year has passed since Dubai launched Salik, the road toll system. The big question still remains whether Salik has really helped in solving the traffic problems in the emirate.

While the majority of motorists say 'it hasn't', some including the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA)Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) believe the system has had very positive effects.

Salik was launched on July 1 last year at the Al Barsha Toll gate near the Mall of the Emirates and the Al Garhoud Toll Gate at the Garhoud Bridge scanning the vehicles passing through them.

The deduction of Dh4 whenever a motorist passes through a gate has been criticised time and again by a majority who claim that while the system has put extra financial burden on them, the traffic situation has not changed a bit. Even today, they remain stuck in the traffic mess for hours together, they complain.

The reason for this is the growing population of the emirate added with the increasing number of cars. According to the statistics, the number of registered vehicles in Dubai has risen to 848,357, of which 802,376 are light vehicles. In 2006, the number of registered vehicles was 739,357.

Dubai is expected to have 5.3 million registered vehicles by 2020 when the emirate's population is likely to rise to 5.25 million. The population, which stood at 1.2 million in 2005, reached 1.45 million in 2007. By 2015, it will be 3.3 million.

The RTARTA statistics also show that Dubai presently has 541 cars per thousand people, more than any other city in the world. The corresponding figure in Singapore is 111 cars, Moscow 250, London 345 and New York 444 cars per thousand people.

With the second phase of Salik set for launch next month, motorists still continue to remain confused about a lot of things, particularly the working of the system. The introduction of two more toll gates -- at Maktoum Bridge and near the Safa Interchange on Shaikh Zayed Road -- has further compounded their perplexity.

People still in a jam
Anurag Kumar, who works in the Dubai Media City said that the road toll system has not made a difference.

"I don't think that it has worked. When it was launched last year, things looked good for a month or so with Shaikh Zayed Road not witnessing heavy traffic. But soon things came back to square one. There can be two reasons behind this. One is the number of cars in Dubai has risen steeply or the people, tired of facing very heavy traffic on the alternative roads, are now ready to pay Dh4 for each trip through the toll gates."

Mohammed Salim, another motorist, who lives in Sharjah but works in Dubai, also said the same. "The new Garhoud Bridge is really good and with the wide lanes and presence of Salik, the traffic is not much. But the traffic mess up starts after one crosses the bridge towards Sharjah. And now, with the toll coming on the other two roads, the alternative roads will also see a heavy rush. We should be ready to see a very bad traffic situation from next month," he said.

Satish S. is worried not only about this. "There is a problem with the SMS system of Salik. Many a times, I don't receive messages after I recharge my Salik account or alerts when my balance is getting over. The announcement of the second phase of Salik has added to the confusion. The RTARTA said that if a motorist passes through two Salik gates in 'one single journey', he will be charged just once. The RTARTA should clarify this as I don't understand what does this mean. What is the time frame of this journey? Suppose I pass through the Al Barsha Gate and then get stuck in a traffic jam for 10 minutes and then cross the Al Safa Gate, will I be charged twice?"

Thomas William, who works with a Dubai-based bank, said the system has helped. "Till early last year, I used to take at least three hours to reach the Trade Centre roundabout from Jebel Ali. Now, the time has decreased to just over an hour. Of course, it takes a longer time during the rush hours. That is the case in all parts of the world during peak traffic hours. I will say that Salik has helped."

RTARTA upbeat
During the announcement of the second phase of Salik, Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of RTARTA, had said the first phase had reduced the congestion on the toll roads by 25 per cent and the duration of journey on Shaikh Zayed Road had come down by 50 per cent and that the average speed along the road had increased from 40 to 80 km/hour.

"The study showed high traffic load on Al Maktoum Bridge, which caused traffic congestion on some internal roads in Deira. It also pointed to congestion at Al Barsha and Al Sofouh due to the traffic load caused by motorists crowding these areas to avoid passing the Al Barsha toll gate. The study proved the necessity to launch a new phase of Salik on the congested roads and the need to redistribute traffic on major roads and creek crossings especially after launching the new Garhoud Bridge," he said.

"During the peak hours when Maktoum Bridge witnesses congestion, the parallel roads and bridges like Business Bay Crossing, Garhoud Bridge and Emirates Road are occupied only up to 70 per cent of their respective capacities. Some motorists avoid passing through the Al Barsha toll gate by using internal roads which cause congestions at Al Barsha and Al Sofouh," the top official said.

"Salik is a part of the integrated solutions that aim at reducing traffic. These solutions comprise road and infrastructure projects, metro rail systems, public transport and marine transport projects, apart from several traffic policies that encourage the use of public transport to reduce traffic jam in Dubai. Salik is an effective tool to reduce the usage of private cars as well," he said.

Officials at the RTARTA have said while most of the queries have been clarified, some others will be clarified soon before the launch of the second phase of Salik.

In an earlier interview to Khaleej Times, Issa Al Dossari, CEO of the Public Transport Agency at the RTARTA, had said Salik had decreased the number of car trips. "There was a time when people used to move up and down Shaikh Zayed Road many a times. Now with Salik, the number of trips has decreased. Salik has made a difference," he said.

Public transport
The RTARTA also added that that before the launch of the second phase, 112 more modern buses would join existing bus fleet and five additional lines would be launched.

Special bus lanes on Khalid bin Waleed, Al Mankhool, Al Khaleej and Al Mina roads will be activated during the coming three months. A fast bus lane will be also activated on Al Ittihad, Emirates Road and Shaikh Zayed Road to provide faster trips between Sharjah and Dubai, and Jebel Ali and Tecom.

The RTARTA recently signed eight strategic agreements with renowned institutions in Dubai for mobility management. Accordingly, the RTARTA will facilitate transport procedures for companies interested in allocating buses for transporting employees to and from homes to the work places. To decrease the number of cars on the road, the RTARTA also launched Sharekni.ae, the car pooling web site.

Salik FAQs
When will the new toll gates at Maktoum Bridge and Safa Intersection be operational?
They will be activated on September 9.

How much a motorist needs to pay in case he is passing under the three toll gates (Al Barsha, Al Safa, Al Maktoum)?
Once a motorist passes through Al Barsha toll gate, he will be charged Dh4. But if he continues his journey, does not take a right or left turn or does not get stuck in traffic and passes though the Al Safa toll gate, he will not be charged. But if the motorist continues his journey and passes through the Al Maktoum toll gate, he will again be charged Dh4. Moreover, if the motorist, during the same journey, lastly passes through the Al Garhoud toll gate, he will again be charged Dh4. The Al Safa toll gate will be free of charge if the motorist is on one straight journey.

On one single day, what is the maximum amount taken from a motorist as Salik charge?
In one day, a motorist will not be charged more than Dh24. Once the motorist reaches the amount, he can have a free crossing for the rest of the day.

What are the alternative routes when the Floating Bridge is closed from 10pm till 6am for those willing to cross Dubai Creek?
The Al Maktoum Bridge toll gate will be free when the Floating Bridge is closed for traffic to ease the process for motorists.

If a motorist passes through, for example, the Al Safa gate and then makes an exit from the Shaikh Zayed Road and again crosses another toll gate, will he have to pay?
He will have to pay Salik. But if he continues on the same trip and crosses Al Barsha toll gate, only Dh4 will be deducted.

How can motorists check their Salik credit?
They can check online by visiting www.salik.ae or by calling 800- Salik (72545) and following the voice instructions. They will also receive SMSs about the status of their Salik balance.

Are there any exceptional cases from Salik?
Vehicles of the military, police, ambulances, school and college buses and public buses are exempted from Salik. Taxis are not exempted and passengers will bear the toll fees if they are willing to use the roads where the toll gates are located. Cab drivers must confirm the passengers' willingness before using the road. Companies with 10 or more cars can open 'Salik' private account. There will be no discounts as the price is unified and fixed.

If a tourist is in Dubai just for a day, will he too have to buy the Salik tag?
All visitors will have to buy Salik tags if they are driving their vehicles. When the tourist rents a car from a car rental agency, it will already have a tag. If he prefers to ride his own car, he has to buy a tag and it will be activated for several years. In case the windscreen is not damaged, he can keep the credit of the card even if he comes back to Dubai after several years. The RTARTA has installed signboards on the entrances of Dubai that show the locations of the toll gates and the free exits and points of sale.

Does a motorist have a separate account for every Salik tag?
Each account can have multiple tags, one for each vehicle. However, each account will have one account owner and one associated mobile number for communicating account information.

Can I drive through the toll zone immediately after buying a tag?
Yes. If your application is submitted and your tag is purchased and installed properly, the proper toll will be assessed and no violation will occur.

What should an account holder do if he is selling his vehicle?
The motorist should call the Salik Customer Service Centre to deactivate the Salik tag so the account is not linked to a vehicle you no longer own. If he buys a new car, he should fill up an application form in which he must mention his Salik account number and the details of the new vehicle at any point of sale. If your Salik tag gets damaged or lost, the vehicle owner will have to pay for a new tag to replace it on the windscreen and in this case the subscriber can use the same account number. The owner of the vehicle is responsible for any toll violation, regardless of who is driving at the time the violation occurred.

A Salik checklist
The Salik card should be pasted 1cm below the front mirror of the car.

The price of the Salik card kit is Dh100. Dh50 will be deducted as an initial cost for the account and the other half will be considered as credit.

The motorists will be notified through SMS when their accounts need to be recharged.

They will receive the first SMS when the credit is Dh30, the second SMS comes when the credit is Dh20. The third SMS will alert the motorists that the credit is zero.

They will also receive an SMS in case they are fined.

The motorists can check their accounts through the toll system's dedicated website www.salik.ae or by calling 800-72545.

There will be two kinds of fines. The first one is for motorists who do not stick tags to the windscreen Dh100 for the first day, Dh200 for the second day and Dh400 for the third day. Any additional fine will not exceed Dh 400 limit.

The second is for motorists who already have a tag but have run out of credit. They will be fined Dh50 for each entry. They can escape the fine if they recharge within two days and the Dh50 will be automatically transferred into the credit. In this case too, they will receive the SMSs.

Any tourist entering the UAE by car needs to have the Salik tag. If a tourist prefers to ride his own personal car and has to buy a tag, it will be activated for several years. In case the car window is not damaged, he can keep the credit of the car even if he comes back to Dubai after several years.

In the case of the sale of the car, the owner should remove the tag from the windscreen. People should call Salik customer service for deactivation.

The vehicle owner needs to pay up for a new tag if the existing tag is damaged or lost.

The owner of the vehicle is responsible for any toll violation regardless of who was driving the vehicle.

Salik tags are available in more than 300 locations at petrol stations (Enoc, Eppco, Adnoc and Emarat) and Dubai Islamic Bank and Emirates Bank branches and authorised outlets related to RTARTA.

© Khaleej Times 2008

 

Community Comments (2) - Comment on this article

The opinions of the authors expressed herein do not necessarily state or reflect Zawya. Read our Comment Policy.

 

Joke by Blog Glogg - 10-Aug-08
Its a joke. The traffic contribution comes in from residents who are plying to Dubai from Sharjah & the Norther Emirates whilst the toll is being charged to residentsi n Dubai. Nowhere in the world do you come across tolls charged for inter-city traffic, i.e, Al Maktoum & Al Safa. They need to put toll gates on near Al Mulla so that the traffic from Sharjah moves towards Emirates roads or the Dubai Bypass Road. [Report Abuse | Email to a Friend | Reply to this Comment]

 

 

sail with salki by jai jethwa, jairam - 09-Aug-08
THERE SHOULD BE ALTERNATIVE WAY TO REDUSE THE TRAFFIC CONGECTION INSTEAD OF ...... [Report Abuse | Email to a Friend | Reply to this Comment]

 

 

 

 

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