Dubai: The number of cabs being booked over phone has increased by close to 16 per cent in 2011, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has said.

Dubai Taxi

In 2011, the number of cabs booked by cab users through the Booking and Despatch Center at RTA’s Public Transport Agency increased to 5,080,903 bookings, up by 16 per cent, as compared to 4,393,826 bookings in 2010.

The total number of calls also increased by 20.9 per cent, going up to 7,256,236 calls in 2011, as compared to the number of calls in 2010.

The center employs 95 people in order to serve customers 24 hours a day.

Adel Shakiri, Director of Transportation Systems, at the Public Transport Agency, attributed the increase to the growing demand for taxi service in Dubai Emirate and the sustained improvement in customer services offered. More info

Dubai: The Roads and Transport Authority has stepped up its road safety campaign for schoolchildren with 771 fines issued against non-compliant schools and transport operators in the first three months of this year.

Image Credit: Gulf News archives Pupils get on a school bus on Oud Metha Road. Al Dossary said there had been a ‘revolution’ in school transport since the RTA took it over in 2008.

“The number is almost half of the total number of fines issued in the whole of 2011, which reflects increased monitoring,” said Eisa Al Dossary, Chief Executive Officer of the RTA’s Public Transport Agency, which regulates school transport.

On the contrary, the increase in fines could also reflect increased negligence on the part of school bus drivers or transport operators. However, Al Dossary does not see it that way.

“Last year, our inspectors issued 1,580 fines and this year in the first quarter alone we have half of it. What this indicates is that we are increasing our surveillance. Most of these fines are for non-compliance with safety standards and specifications, which range from not using the stop arm while dropping or loading students to exceeding the speed limit which is fixed at 80km/h,” Al Dossary said.

Highlighting the “revolution” seen in school transport since the RTA took it over in 2008, he said that the number of accidents had decreased by 63 per cent, and the number of casualties and abuse cases on school buses has also come down. More info

Dubai: The city’s finest road is also the one which has the highest number of speeding fines.

Image Credit: Gulf News Archive Shaikh Zayed Road. Last year, motorists racked up 714,894 fines for exceeding speed limits on Shaikh Zayed Road. That's nearly 2,000 tickets a day or 81 an hour.

Last year, motorists racked up 714,894 fines for exceeding speed limits on Shaikh Zayed Road. That’s nearly 2,000 tickets a day or 81 an hour.

Obviously, they haven’t learnt anything. In the first three months of 2012, the heavy footed incurables have run up 210,128 tickets on this freeway – a 27 per cent jump from 165,074 between January and March last year.

Among the speed kings is Indian actor Kamaal Rashid Khan who clocked Dh7,000 in speeding fines on Valentine’s Day night. But it’s still nothing compared to this man whose car was impounded after he racked up Dh127,000 in fines.

Al Khail Road came a distant second with 113,068 fines last year. Curiously, Emirates Road, which was responsible for the highest number of deaths (14) in 2011, recorded 100,467 speeding tickets.

Fourth on the list is Dubai Al Ain Road (98,531) followed by the Dubai Bypass Road (89,943).  More info

Dubai: The quality and standard of school transport in Dubai has seen a dramatic change since 2008, when the Dubai Executive Council issued a law to control school transport.

Since then the Roads and Transport Authority has issued detailed regulations, guidelines and specifications for buses. It has also provided training to school bus drivers and attendants, and only those who are certified by the authority can drive school buses.

“What has happened since 2008 is a big revolution. There was no law to govern school transport before, nobody was accountable and no responsibilities were assigned. There is a huge difference between what you see now and before 2008,” said Eisa Al Dossary, CEO of RTA’s Public Transport Agency, which also governs school transport.

The basic objective of the changes was to improve safety of pupils on the road and to achieve this RTA has divided the roles and responsibilities with all parties are held accountable. “We have issued guidelines for school administrators, teachers, drivers, attendants as well as parents and students and we keep organising safety awareness campaigns in schools,” said Al Dossary. More info

DUBAI – It will be smooth sailing for Water Taxi commuters with two more stations coming up at Rixos, The Palm Hotel, and Dubai Marina Mall.

Water Taxi in Dubai

This will bring the total number of stations to 25, said the Public Transport Agency at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on Monday.

The new Station 56 of the Rixos, The Palm Hotel, and Station 57 of the Dubai Marina Mall were opened because of the large number of visitors to these areas, said the RTA.

“Adding two new stations to the Water Taxi’s route fulfils the vision the agency is seeking to realise in expanding the reach of mass transit systems in general and marine transport in particular, in order to make them the first mobility choice of the entire community members,” said Essa Abdul Rahman Al Dosari, CEO of the RTA Public Transport Agency.

He said water taxi fares are affordable, offers privacy for passengers, and has a capacity to house up to 10 passengers. ‘‘Besides, it offers a dedicated compartment for special needs, luxurious setting and stunning panoramic water view away from roads’ congestion hassles,’’ he said.

“The agency opted to communicate with the community in a bid to provide mass transit services by coordinating with selected entities the provision of designated places in mass transit modes; be it marine modes or public buses, based on the numbers of people visiting these places, accessibility to such places and the need for the provision of all transit means,”

Al Dosari said the RTA has been keen on achieving multi-modal integration of all mass transit means by integrating all the Metro stations on the Red and Green Lines with the marine transit stations and public buses. More info

Dubai: Khalid Bin Walid has emerged as the busiest Metro station in Dubai with more than 19,000 passengers using the station every day, a top official has told XPRESS.

Ramadan Abdullah, Director, Rail Operations, Dubai Metro, said an average of 19,097 passengers take the Metro to or from the Khalid Bin Walid station in Bur Dubai every day, followed by Union Square station with 18,113 passengers and Deira City Centre with 15,607 passengers.

Khalid Bin Walid station

Average ridership

The total average ridership on the Metro is 297,357 passengers per day.

* Image Credit: Zarina Fernandes/XPRESS * Gold, silver or ladies compartments, getting into the trains during peak hours is a daunting task.

Abdullah said Khalid Bin Walid attracts large numbers of passengers for many reasons. “There are lots of businesses in the area as well as restaurants and hotels that are frequented by a high number of Metro users. The station is a popular interchange station for passengers switching between the Red and Green lines to complete their journey. The BurJuman shopping mall also attracts a large number of Metro users.”

But passengers who regularly use the station rued the mad rush at the station during peak hours.

Shama Kapoor, a receptionist who takes the Metro from Khalid Bin Walid to the Noor Islamic Bank station every morning, said, “I prefer to get into the women’s compartment but it’s always packed. Earlier, it was a scramble just getting in. Now I need to stand in a queue but there are so many people that I end up missing the first train.”

Abdul Hakim, an engineer, said, “I started using the Gold card thinking there would be no rush in the Gold compartment. But there are so many people who travel in this compartment from Khalid Bin Walid.” More info

I have been involved in many campaigns with the Road and Transport Authority (RTA) about traffic safety so when they asked me to conduct a quiz for Gulf Traffic Week, I was excited to help.

* Image Credit: Pictures courtesy: Disha Bobby * Eager participants raise hands to answer questions at a road safety quiz held for shoppers at the Dubai Festival City.

In celebration of Gulf Traffic Week 2012, I put together a road safety quiz for shoppers at the Dubai Festival City. The key purpose of the event was to remind people about road safety rules. We managed to gather large crowds of people. It was a successful event with hundreds of attendees. Many of the participants won prizes.

The quiz helped people recall road safety rules and remember to apply them in order to reduce accidents and fatalities. People were aware of the correct answers to many of the questions, but I noticed a huge problem. Young children sit without fastening their seat belts or using car seats. Recently, I read that accidents have been reduced by 12.8 per cent. I believe my activities and these road safety campaigns will surely help Dubai Police achieve their goal of reducing the number of road accidents to 0 per 100,000 by 2020.

— This reader is a grade 5 pupil based in Dubai

Abu Dhabi: The Abu Dhabi Department of Transport has started work on the design of a Metro and light-rail transit system after the Executive Council approved funding for the projects, a spokesman for the department said.

The Abu Dhabi Metro, which will extend approximately 131 km and be supported by tram and bus feeder networks, is set to be operational by 2016-17.

Future goals

Besides serving the projected increase in the capital’s population and relieving congestion, the Metro will mainly connect the proposed Central Business District with Sowwah Island, Reem Island, Saadiyat Island, Yas Island, Abu Dhabi International Airport and Masdar, the Capital City District, Emerald Gateway, Zayed Sports City and Adnec.

* Image Credit: Supplied * The Abu Dhabi Metro, which will extend approximately 131 km and be supported by tram and bus feeder networks, is set to be operational by 2016-17.

According to the spokesman, 18 km of the Metro lines and 40 km of the light-rail transit system will be designed in the first phase of the project.

Most of the proposed network is expected to be underground. A fully grade separated rail line will serve Central Station, North Island, Al Wahda, Adnec, and Zayed Sports City.

The monorail track (which is part of the Metro project) is expected to be 40km long. Each station is expected to handle 1,000 commuters. The monorail might also include 15 two-coach trains at five-minute intervals between service trains.

The Abu Dhabi Metro would be linked to the Dubai Metro and other cities in the UAE and to other GCC states.

Cost

The Department of Transport estimated the annual cost of time spent in congested traffic in the capital at Dh2.5 billion by 2015, which is expected to increase to Dh5.9 billion by 2030. More info

Dubai: Work on the Dh617 million First Interchange on Shaikh Zayed Road is now fully complete and it has recently been opened to traffic, Gulf News has learnt. The interchange has the capacity to handle more than 16,000 vehicles an hour.

* Image Credit: Ahmed Ramzan/Gulf News * The Defence Roundabout project includes traverse bridges across Shaikh Zayed Road, providing freeway in both directions from Al Safa Road to Financial Centre Road, ensuring a seamless traffic flow from Al Safa Road towards Dubai. These bridges were opened in 2010.

Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) officials have confirmed that the project has been completed and that motorists will now enjoy a free flow of traffic in the area.

Construction on the three-tier interchange on the First Interchange, commonly known among residents as Defence Roundabout, began in the last quarter of 2006, after an Italian company Salini Constructions was given the contract for the project.

The project was initially scheduled to be opened in 2009. But changes were made to the initial blue print and the project completion was moved further. Authorities then completed the project in phases and opened parts of the project to traffic, as they were completed. It is now that the entire project has been completed.

The project includes traverse bridges across Shaikh Zayed Road, providing freeway in both directions from Al Safa Road to Financial Centre Road, ensuring a seamless traffic flow from Al Safa Road towards Dubai. These bridges were opened in 2010.

Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA, said back then that the key bridges and roads of the project are one of the most important and sophisticated projects undertaken by the RTA. More info

Dubai: New roads linking Al Riyadh and Oud Metha streets, expected to open to traffic by the middle of this year, will ease traffic woes in the Rashid Hospital area, Mattar Al Tayer, Executive Director of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said yesterday.

* Image Credit: Francois Nel/Gulf News * The RTA has completed about 70 per cent of the Rashid Hospital Tunnels Project. The project comprises the construction of roads and two two-lane tunnels.

The new roads are part of the Dh700 million Rashid Hospital Tunnels Project, which is scheduled to be completed by mid-2013.

The RTA has completed about 70 per cent of the Rashid Hospital Tunnels Project, he said in a statement. In February 2010, Al Tayer had announced that 50 per cent of the project had been completed.

Rashid Hospital Tunnels Project is part of RTA’s masterplan which aims to ease traffic congestion in the highly clogged vicinity of Rashid Hospital.

“Once completed, the capacity of the roads in the areas surrounding the project will increase to about 6,000 vehicles per hour,” Al Tayer said.

The project comprises the construction of roads and two two-lane tunnels to serve the traffic inbound from Tariq Bin Ziyad and Umm Harir streets and heading towards the intersection of Al Riyadh street with the extension of the Floating Bridge.

The first tunnel begins from Tariq Bin Ziyad Street and passes underneath Al Maktoum Bridge. The second tunnel begins from Umm Harir Street and passes across Oud Metha Park.

The two tunnels merge to form a four-lane street heading towards Al Riyadh Street via Rashid Hospital. The new link will provide an easy link to motorists using the Floating Bridge.

The project encompasses converting the junction of Al Riyadh Street and Floating Bridge Extension into a four-lane traffic route, widening Tariq Bin Ziyad Street, improving Oud Metha and Umm Harir Streets, and constructing a road to handle the traffic inbound from the Floating Bridge and heading towards Tariq Bin Ziyad street. More info