14 February 2006
Dubai: Dubai will have dedicated lanes for public transport buses in congested areas as part of its plans to improve transport services.
The dedicated lanes will help reduce travel times and will encourage more people to use buses as they will be able to avoid traffic congestion and save time, said Engineer Mattar Al Tayer, Executive Director of Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
"The RTA is implementing effective plans to realise its vision of 'Safe and Smooth Transport for All' to cope with Dubai's constantly growing population and its increasing transport needs," he added.
Al Tayer said the RTA will complete its major traffic study in a month's time. The study will identify roads, which needs dedicated bus lanes.
"Separate bus lanes are needed for some congested roads of Dubai and it will be done within next three years because it needs a lot of work on roads," he said.
Abdul Aziz Malek, Director of Public Transport Department, said the RTA is increasing the number of buses and is also introducing buses of various sizes to suit different areas.
The RTA has recently announced its plans to have 500 air-conditioned bus stop shelters to upgrade its services. "The main aim of upgrading the facilities is to change the mindset of the people that public transport is for every one and not just labourers," Malek said.
Integrated services
Al Tayer said the RTA is building an integrated public transportation system relying on the different modes of transportation including metro, buses and water transport.
"We are committed to applying the best international practices to ensure a balance between the different modes of transportation in order to accommodate the increasing demands on the transportation network," he said.
Hans Rat, Secretary General of International Association for Public Transport (UITP), said that Dubai's transport system is a big challenge to run.
"Public transport needs its own space. Metro can have its space but you need to have more space for public buses and that can be done by having separate lanes on roads.
"If buses are stuck in traffic, no one will use them," he said.
Rat also suggested to limit the number of cars registered every year in Dubai.
"Dubai needs to limit registering new cars every year or should introduce some toll system to limit access of cars in congested areas as is being done in London because Dubai has limited space," he said.
Global transport body to set up office
The International Association of Public Transport (UITP) will open its office in Dubai for the Middle East and North Africa Region.
"The UITP is establishing its regional headquarters in Dubai to provide guidance to the growing cities of the Middle East and North African region on how best to anticipate and manage the growth of their public transport infrastructure," said Engineer Mattar Al Tayer, Executive Director of the Dubai Roads and Transport Authority.
UITP, which is based in Brussels, is a 120-year-old association of public transport with 3,000 members in 90 countries.
"We look forward to working in a strategic partnership with UITP to address the present and future public transportation needs of Dubai while maintaining the highest levels of safety and service quality," Al Tayer said.
By Ashfaq Ahmed
Gulf News 2006. All rights reserved.
