Source:Â www.zawya.com
Roads & Transport Authority – Mohammed Al Munji: Dubai metro 06.00 am and continue until 01.00 am (after midnight) during weekdays, and from 02.00 pm to 01.00 am on Fridays, announced H.E. Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board & Executive Director of the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA). Al Tayer also announced a revision in the working hours of paid parking zones during Ramadan where the morning session will remain as it is (from 08.00 am to 01.00 pm), and the evening session will start from 07.00 pm to 12.00 am (midnight), thus maintaining the same number of hours set for using parking zones in the evening session without any increase.
RTA Chairman of the Board and Executive Director also announced that RTA was keen on delivering top class services to the users of transport means to meet the needs and expectations of customers. “Fixing the metro service time during the holy month of Ramadan came in response to an opinion poll of the public and metro riders about the operational timing. It also came in response to a comprehensive study of mobility movement in the Emirate during Ramadan and the working hours in the public and private sector organizations. The decision also takes into consideration the movement of people which soars after Iftar and Taraweeh prayers and continues late into the night.
“The Dubai metro has become an important transit mode for considerable numbers of citizens, residents and tourists who use it in their daily travels across the Emirate. Statistics reveal that the number of metro users jumped from 2,373,451 passengers last April to 3,193,087 passengers in May and the number of the metro commuters kept rising to reach 3,262,912 passengers in June. While we were bracing for a drop in the metro ridership in July & August due to the summer vacation, the first week of July 2010 registered a record number of the metro riders with 130,529 commuters using the metro on July 1st (Thursday). Such a rise in the metro ridership is attributed to the vibrant nature of the Dubai city; which has become a summer destination for tourists, thanks to the Dubai Summer Festival and the promotional offers made by hotels and malls which helped transform Dubai into a summer attraction point in the region. Moreover, the Dubai metro
is expected to post an upsurge of passengers over the remaining months of the current year,” said Al Tayer.
Commenting on the working hours of the of the paid parking zones in Ramadan, Al Tayer said: “Revising the parking timing in the evening session was intended to ease the pressure on parking users in the afternoon up to Iftar time as the parking use will be exempted from 01.00 pm up to 07.00 pm, and the fees will apply from 07.00 pm to 12.00 am (midnight) in order to avail the parking space for users. The movement of the public within markets and business districts during Ramadan shifts from day time to the period after Iftar. Thus it was inevitable to take a decision that goes in parallel line with the commercial activity in the Emirate to ensure the availability of parking space for the public during and after Iftar, streamline the traffic movement in all areas of the Emirate, minimize the negative use of parking, and ensure the availability of parking space during the business peak hours of Ramadan”.
Al Tayer concluded by expressing aspiration to see more cooperation of the public with RTA efforts in streamlining the parking process, particularly in heavily populated areas for the benefit of all users.
