By Ramola Talwar Badam www.thenational.ae
DUBAI // Three helipads to be built at Metro stations will speed up emergency service response times, experts said.
Construction of the helipads will begin this month at Rashidiya, Al Qusais and Jebel Ali metro depot stations, the Roads and Transport Authority said.
“All three will begin operation simultaneously after we get approval from the General Civil Aviation Authority,” an RTA spokesman said.
The helipads will cover the daily routes of millions of commuters on Sheikh Zayed and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed roads and communities nearby.
“It will serve a dual purpose: one in responsiveness and ability to act if something was to happen on the metro. Also, to access neighbourhoods and to evacuate people,” said Roger Cruickshank, director of strategic transport planning at Atkins, the engineering company behind the Dubai Metro.
“A connection close to Jebel Ali works if there are concerns about access to neighbouring labour areas. The depots are placed with Rashidiya to the north and Jebel Ali in the south.
“The RTA would have looked at how to make the city more resilient. This planning is all about building cities of the future, in which infrastructure and transport play a key part.”
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