Source: www.rta.ae
The Roads & Transport Authority has finalized preparations of its Operational Plan of Mass Transit Means; which comprises the Dubai Metro, public buses and taxis, as well as the management of traffic movement at sites witnessing events in Dubai Emirate during Eid al-Adha holiday. The plan has been developed in response to the directives of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, to expand the entertainment and shopping events in Dubai during the Eid-in-Dubai event; which runs for two weeks from 18 October to 2 November 2012.
Engineer Maitha bin Udai, CEO of RTA Traffic & Roads Agency, Head of the Team responsible for Traffic Movement Management and Handling Operational Plans during Official & Annual Events, said that the RTA had fully prepared the operational plans for managing traffic movement at the sites of events scheduled to be held in the Emirate during Eid al-Adha holiday. Different types of public transport systems in Dubai will be fully ready to serve passengers during this period, be it the metro, public buses and taxis, she said.
“The operational plan set for the event sites in Dubai Mall include using the parking lots in front of the Cinema as well as the parking of the World Trade Center as an option in case the parking of the Dubai Mall are full, provided that directional signage to be provided in place in case of resorting to the latter solution. It also comprises the deployment of buses to lift the public to Dubai Mall, providing pick-up and drop-off points for buses & taxis, and beefing up the numbers of feeder buses shuttling between Burj Khalifa and Dubai Mall.
“In the Festival City Center, the RTA will control the light signals in the area as well as Al Rebat Road in order to ease the traffic flow, and a bus route will be opened to lift passengers from the Center to the Emirates Station as an option in case no taxicabs are available.
“In Deira City Center, Mall of the Emirates and Marina Mall, the traffic signals will be controlled and monitored in the area and along Al Rebat Road to ease the traffic flow in case of traffic jams; with a view to operating buses to lift passengers to Emirates Station as an option in case no taxis are available.
“In the Creek Park (Water Fun Event), RTA will control the traffic signals on Al Riyadh Road to ease the traffic flow in case of congestions, and provide around 500 additional parking slots at Al-Bom Village in addition to opening a bus route from and to the Entrance of the Park as well as from Oud Metha Station to the Park and vice versa.
“In Al Seef Road, a bus route will be opened to lift the public from Khalid bin Al Waleed Station and Burjman Center to Al Seef Station and vice versa. In the Heritage Village, around 700 additional parking slots towards Rashid Port will be provided along with dedicated areas for taxis. A plan for closing congested roads will be implemented in coordination with the Dubai Police, and traffic signals will be controlled and monitored along Street 312 and Trade Center R/A to ensure the smooth traffic flow in the area which will witness concerts and performances in some grand hotels as well as the Halls of the Dubai World Trade Center,” she continued.
Public Transit Means
Regarding the metro operation, bin Udai said: The Metro will be operating as per the usual timetables from Saturday to Wednesday, but on 27 and 28 October, it will start operation from 05:30 am up to 04:00 am. During event days, the metro operation timing during Thursdays will be from 05:30 am up to 04:00 am, and on Friday from 10:00 am up to 04:00 am. The metro ridership during the events is expected to hit 85,880 passengers.
“As for buses, Maitha said: Additional routes will be introduced to lift passengers to lift passengers as part of the Traffic Movement Management Plan at key sites. We will operate 23 routes to feed the metro stations to bring up the total number of buses deployed during the events to 108 buses expected to serve 20,652 passengers during this period. A bus route to the Global Village will be activated with the start of the events as follows: From Al Ghubaiba Station to the Global Village, and from Etisalat Metro Station to the Global Village the service will run from 01:00 pm to 01:00 am. The Water Taxi service will also be extended at the Festival City Station and Marina Mall Station 24 hours a day during the weekends of the events period. Taxis will also be provided in coordination with the event organizers as needed, and the number of the daily trips is expected to hit 295 thousand trips by 7700 taxicabs,” continued Maitha.
Coordination and Cooperation
The Head of the Team responsible for Traffic Movement Management and Handling Operational Plans during Official & Annual Events, said that a delegation from the Dubai Events and Promotions Establishment reviewed the list of events set to be held during Eid al-Adha holiday, and discussed the required operational procedures for managing the traffic movement for those events in order to ensure a smooth traffic flow, and provide various transit systems (buses, metro, taxis) during the events period.
“In the context of RTA efforts to keep pace with the steadily growing number of events and annual festivities held by the Emirate throughout the year, specialized teams have been set up to cater to all matters relating to the traffic movement and operational plans of various transport means during these periods. The teams will contribute positively to the success of those events and uplifting the calibre of services rendered by the Dubai Government to the public and visitors from within or outside the Emirate. Such teams will attend to establishing updated & inclusive database comprising all annual events in Dubai along with their timing throughout the year. A Manual has also been prepared clearly detailing the business processes, as well as the standards of planning, operating and managing the traffic movement during the periods of events and annual festivities and official functions at world-class standards.
“The RTA has also formulated a communication plan to ensure the effective coordination with the organizers of the events and external bodies (Dubai Police, Dubai Ambulance Services, General Directorate of Civil Defence). RTA will also oversee the implementation of the suggested operational plans for the event at site to ensure that each party is shouldering its respective responsibility. It will also enlist lessons learned after each event, identify the pros and cons for future guidance, and ensure the sustained improvements of the operational plans carried out by the RTA during future events. Setting up of specialized teams for studying and following the management of traffic movements as well as the operational procedures of public transport means during the events has resulted in a remarkable improvement in the level of service, and better traffic flow at various key sites during different events and festivities.
