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RTA discusses with Dubai Police stepping up crackdown on heavy vehicles parked on road shoulders, under bridges

Roads and Transport Authority - Mohammed Al Munji: His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the Roads and Transport Authority ( RTA ), has recently held a coordinative meeting with H.E. Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, Deputy Commander-in-Chief of the Dubai Police, during which the two parties discussed the need to step up their coordination in monitoring heavy vehicles, bus & taxi dedicated lanes and launching joint campaigns to tow vehicles parked on road shoulders or at under bridges.

In the outset of the meeting, Al Tayer lauded the huge cooperation and tangible support accorded to the RTA by the General HQ of the Dubai Police under the command of His Excellency Lieutenant General Dhahi Khalfan Tamim, Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, which was culminated in the launch of several joint awareness campaigns and activation of the coordination in traffic enforcement measures in a way epitomizing the strategic partnership of the two bodies.

"These meetings are held in realization of the Memorandum of Understanding signed between the RTA and Dubai Police to continuously boost their existing strategic relations in an effective and institutional manner that cements and pushes ahead this relationship in the interest of all community segments; which is bound to reflect positively on the economic and social development drive seen by the Emirate.

For his part, Major General Khamis Mattar Al Mazeina, praised the continuous coordination and cooperation between the HQ of Dubai Police and the RTA ; which has contributed to the exchanging of knowledge, expertise and experiences between both parties, and carrying out of joint campaigns and raising traffic safety level.

The meeting discussed the launch of Phase II of the Bus & Taxi Dedicated Lane Scheme and in this regard Al Tayer said: "In the second half of this year RTA will launch the second phase of the scheme; which covers one kilometer of Naif Road in a sector extending from Al Musalla Road to Al Khaleej Road, one kilometer of Al Ittihad Road in the direction from Sharjah to Dubai in a sector extending from the entrance to Dubai Emirate up to Al Nahdah Interchange. The launch of this Phase has been contemplated following the huge success made by the initial Phase where surveys and studies carried out by the RTA involving more than 1000 users and drivers of public buses and taxis revealed that 77 of respondents wish the scheme to be expanded to cover other roads in Dubai, 75% of them stated that the project contributed to reducing the journey time, and 86% of bus drivers expressed their satisfaction with the scheme; which had reduced the transit time and increased the ridership of mass transit means.

RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director called for tightening the control of vehicles in breach of Bus & Taxi Dedicated Lane Order adding that RTA would use surveillance systems to capture images of offending vehicles and forward them to the General Department of Traffic to report offences against offenders.

The meeting agreed for traffic patrols to step up the surveillance of heavy vehicles whose drivers flout the driving and traffic rules and regulations due to the gravity of accidents involving heavy vehicles. It was also agreed to run joint campaigns for towing heavy trucks and vehicles parked on road shoulders and beneath bridges and interchanges. RTA inspectors will supply the General Department of Traffic with images of trucks parked on road pavements and highway shoulders to issue offence tickets against them. Heavy vehicles will be towed away off the road in order to save the lives of road users from potential collision with vehicles.

The meeting also discussed intensifying the inspection campaigns on heavy vehicles whose drivers fail to repair the faults that may undermine the safety of road users such as the replacement of invalid tyres, defective lights and faulty side signals. The issue of licensing of quad bikes was also raised where the applicable quad bikes licensing regulations entrusted the Licensing Agency staff to exercise enforcement measures in establishing the actions and offences made in violation of the provision of the Order within the licensed areas, and for the Dubai Police to enforce the law against offenders outside the licensed areas. It was agreed to form a work team comprising RTA Licensing Agency and the Dubai Police General Department of Traffic to prepare the Executive Regulations of Quad Bikes Order.

The meeting was also attended from the Dubai Police General HQ by the Director of General Department of Traffic H.E. Major-General Mohammed Saif Al Zaffin, and from RTA by the CEO of Traffic & Roads Agency Maitha Mohammed bin Udai, CEO of Licensing Agency Mohammed Hashim Bahrozyan, Director of Traffic Hussain Al Banna, Director of Vehicle Licensing Mohammed Abdul Kareem Nimaat, Director of Legal Affairs Abdul Rahman Al Shaa'er, and several other directors.

-Ends-

© Press Release 2011