Over one-third of respondents to a new poll believe Dubai’s Metro system will transform “a city reborn” when it is launched on 09/09/09. However, the same number of people however believe it is “destined to fail”.
The poll, conducted by Maktoob Business, reveals that 37 percent of people are still confused by how they are supposed to get to the metro, and then how they get from it to work or home.
With summer temperatures rising above 40 degrees in the emirate, walking long distances is not considered an option by the city’s inhabitants.
Dubai’s Roads and Transports Authority (RTA) has begun signposting bus routes that will act as spokes feeding the metro hub, but for a good one-third of people these are either inadequately signposted yet, or the buses do not stop in the vicinity of their office or residential area.
That could explain why a further 14% of respondents to the survey believe that while the metro is a great idea, it will get perfected elsewhere.
It is a “great project, but other cities will have the benefit of seeing where the Dubai system fails,” they responded to Maktoob Business.
For 35 percent of respondents, however, the Metro is another sign of Dubai’s unparalleled vision in the region. “This is the future, and again Dubai gets there first,” they said.
“This will revolutionise a city reborn.”
Dubai’s relentless growth has resulted in major traffic difficulties for the city, with traffic growth always two steps ahead of infrastructure improvements.
Over the last two years the RTA has introduced an array of measures to get cars off the road – from expanding its bus fleet, introducing water taxis, car sharing schemes, and most controversially toll gales on its main arteries to keep essential traffic moving.
However, the metro remains the flagship project, and many analysts believe its success will be dependent upon the cost of a ticket.
In an unofficial leak the RTA is believed to have erred on making the network affordable to everyone with a 1.20 dirhams ($0.32) as the minimum fare between two stations. That would rise for longer journeys with 5.80 dirhams for a one-way fare between Rashadiya and Jebel Ali.
Whether those details are true or not will be confirmed on Monday when the RTA announces official pricing details for the Metro.
http://business.maktoob.com
