HE Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA), has recently received a delegation from the Republic of Kazakhstan headed by HE Asset Issekeshev, Mayor of Astana City. H.E. Kairat Lama Sharif, Ambassador of Kazakhstan to the UAE; and HE Arman Issaghalieyv, Consul General of Kazakhstan in Dubai attended the gathering.
During the meeting, the two parties discussed the experience of establishing the RTA, all activities related to bringing all traffic, roads, public transport and vehicle licensing under one umbrella. Discussions also touched on the approach adopted by RTA in charting out its organizational chart, strategy, roads & mass transport projects, and traffic systems among others.
Al Tayer reviewed the foundation stages of RTA including the transfer of duties, assets and technologies from the Dubai Municipality, General HQ of Dubai Police, and the Dubai Transport Corporation in a record time. Foundation tasks also included sourcing competent technical & administrative cadres, sorting out the traffic woes, improving traffic safety, and encouraging the use of public transport means. He also touched on the idea underlining the organization chart developed at top standards of the world’s leading transport entities in Germany, Hong Kong and Singapore.
“From inception, RTA had been keen on improving mass transit means to make them the ideal choice of people mobility in the Emirate with the aim of augmenting the share of public transport means in the mobility of people to 20% by 2020. This rate has so far escalated from 6% in 2006 to 15% in 2015,” noted Al Tayer.
“RTA has delivered immense & vital public transport projects costing more than AED70 billion headed by Dubai Metro project stretching 75 km rendering it the longest driverless metro network worldwide, the 11 km-long Dubai Tram project, a massive fleet of public buses comprising 1518 buses, integrated water transport means as well as taxicabs. Public transport in the Emirate of Dubai has become critical for the daily movement of residents and visitors. In 2015, public transport means combined had lifted more than 539 million commuters at a rate of 1.5 million riders per day.
“RTA had carried out about 170 road projects costing about AED30 billion resulting in stretching the existing roads network to about 14,000 lane-kilometers, in addition to the construction of 423 bridges & 70 underpasses. RTA had utilized modern technologies in operating mass transit systems mainly using the unified card (NOL) in paying fares of various transit modes comprising the Dubai Metro, buses, water bus besides supporting the transition to smart services,” added Al Tayer.
HE Asset Issekeshev, Mayor of Astana City, hailed the quick achievements of RTA in constructing infrastructure projects such as roads, metro and tram projects, and the integration of public transit systems. He also commended the fabulous designs, deluxe finishing and the superb passenger services provided. He expressed his hope for boosting cooperation, sharing expertise, and holding workshops in planning, constructing and operating transit means as well as upgrading the infrastructure of roads, and public transport. He noted that such endeavours would drive the economy through increased investments and enhanced commercial activities.
At the conclusion of the meeting, whose attendees were Engineer Metha bin Udai, CEO of Traffic and Roads Agency; Abdul Mosen Ibrahim Younes, CEO of RTA Rail Agency; and Abdullah Yousef Al Ali, CEO of Public Transport Agency; Al Tayer presented a trophy to the Mayor of Astana City. More info
