Two new Salik gates in Dubai – at the Business Bay Crossing on Al Khail Road and at Al Safa South on Sheikh Zayed Road – will be activated on Sunday, taking the number of tolls in the emirate to 10.
Announced by the Roads and Transport Authority in January, the gates will collect the standard Dh4 every time a vehicle crosses them and will aim to reduce traffic congestion by 12 to 15 per cent in the Business Bay area and by 15 per cent in Al Safa area.
In January, Salik Company – the operator of the toll gates – explained that the locations were chosen following traffic studies to reduce congestion.
“The addition of new toll gates in two increasingly busy locations marks the latest milestone in the growth plan that we set out at the time of Salik’s initial public offering," Ibrahim Al Haddad, chief executive of Salik, said at the time. Mattar Al Tayer, director general of the RTA, added that Dubai's road toll strategy was key to its efforts to reduce traffic.
Al Safa South gate will be linked to the older Safa North gate an, like the Mamzar gates, will only charge a single payment from those crossing both gates within an hour.
In an earlier interview, Mr Al Haddad said it was the first time that Salik gates would be solar-powered, supporting the authority's "sustainable growth agenda" and "commitment to green energy".
He also said that plans were under way to power all Salik gates by solar energy over the next few years.
The Salik chief executive said the toll gates had "contributed to reducing the total travel time across the emirate by approximately 6 million hours annually and increased the number of public transport users by about 9 million passengers annually”.
During its IPO announcement in 2022, Salik had hinted at plans to introduce “dynamic pricing”, which varies depending on the time of the day. “The Roads and Transport Authority could implement dynamic pricing through optimising the toll rates depending on the time of the day, for example, by charging a higher toll fee for specific lanes or during peak hours," the IPO announcement read.
It said that the system would be based on similar models used in other cities, such as Dallas and Stockholm.
In a series of social media posts, Salik said the new gates will improve accessibility to areas such as Jumeirah, Downtown Dubai, Dubai Water Canal and Al Safa, among others.
Why Dubai introduced toll gates?
The Salik system was introduced in 2007 to ease traffic congestion, raise state revenue and encourage residents to use public transport. The first two gates came up in Gharoud and Barsha, with Safa and Maktoum bridge gates added a year later. In 2013, three gates were introduced at Airport tunnel, and two at Mamzar – south and north. In 2018, the Jebel Ali gate was introduced.
Motorists are charged Dh4 to pass through each gate, with the amount deducted automatically from tags fixed to vehicle windscreens. The tags can be purchased online or at service stations, and topped up online or through recharge cards.
The toll gates:
- Al Barsha
- Al Garhoud
- Al Maktoum
- Al Mamzar South
- Al Mamzar North
- Al Safa
- Al Safa (South)
- Airport Tunnel
- Jebel Ali
- Business Bay
Penalties
Every vehicle must have a Salik tag, with new vehicle owners given a 10-day grace period to install and activate one.
Passing through Salik gates without a tag will incur a fine of Dh100 for the first offence, Dh200 for the second offence and Dh400 every time after that.
There’s currently no daily cap on Salik, with every gate charging a fee of Dh4 every single time a vehicle passes through.
Maktoum bridge closure
Al Maktoum bridge in Dubai, where one of the 10 Salik gates is positioned, will remain closed for long durations until January 16, 2025, the RTA previously announced. It will be closed between 11pm and 5am on Monday to Saturday and all day on Sunday during this period. First opened in 1963, it connects travel between Bur Dubai and Deira.
The bridge's toll gate does not charge motorists on Sundays and is free to travel through from 10pm to 6am daily. During the partial closure for the next two months, the RTA has urged drivers to take alternative routes.
If going from Deira to Bur Dubai:
- Al Shindagha Tunnel through Baniyas Road and Al Khaleej Street
- Infinity Bridge through Baniyas Road, Al Khaleej Street and Corniche Street
- Business Bay Crossing Bridge through Baniyas Road, Sheikh Rashid Road and Rebat Street
- Al Garhoud Bridge through Baniyas Road and Sheikh Rashid Road
If travelling from Bur Dubai to Deira:
- Al Garhoud Bridge through Oud Metha Road and Sheikh Rashid Road
- Infinity Bridge or Al Shindagha Tunnel through Tariq Bin Ziyad Road, Khalid Bin Al Waleed Road and Al Khaleej Street
- Business Bay Crossing Bridge through Oud Metha Road and Al Khail Road Dubai
Types of bank fraud
1) Phishing
Fraudsters send an unsolicited email that appears to be from a financial institution or online retailer. The hoax email requests that you provide sensitive information, often by clicking on to a link leading to a fake website.
2) Smishing
The SMS equivalent of phishing. Fraudsters falsify the telephone number through “text spoofing,” so that it appears to be a genuine text from the bank.
3) Vishing
The telephone equivalent of phishing and smishing. Fraudsters may pose as bank staff, police or government officials. They may persuade the consumer to transfer money or divulge personal information.
4) SIM swap
Fraudsters duplicate the SIM of your mobile number without your knowledge or authorisation, allowing them to conduct financial transactions with your bank.
5) Identity theft
Someone illegally obtains your confidential information, through various ways, such as theft of your wallet, bank and utility bill statements, computer intrusion and social networks.
6) Prize scams
Fraudsters claiming to be authorised representatives from well-known organisations (such as Etisalat, du, Dubai Shopping Festival, Expo2020, Lulu Hypermarket etc) contact victims to tell them they have won a cash prize and request them to share confidential banking details to transfer the prize money.
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The Sand Castle
Director: Matty Brown
Stars: Nadine Labaki, Ziad Bakri, Zain Al Rafeea, Riman Al Rafeea
Rating: 2.5/5
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Gran Gala del Calcio 2019 winners
Best Player: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus)
Best Coach: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta)
Best Referee: Gianluca Rocchi
Best Goal: Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria vs Napoli)
Best Team: Atalanta
Best XI: Samir Handanovic (Inter); Aleksandar Kolarov (Roma), Giorgio Chiellini (Juventus), Kalidou Koulibaly (Napoli), Joao Cancelo (Juventus*); Miralem Pjanic (Juventus), Josip Ilicic (Atalanta), Nicolo Barella (Cagliari*); Fabio Quagliarella (Sampdoria), Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Duvan Zapata (Atalanta)
Serie B Best Young Player: Sandro Tonali (Brescia)
Best Women’s Goal: Thaisa (Milan vs Juventus)
Best Women’s Player: Manuela Giugliano (Milan)
Best Women’s XI: Laura Giuliani (Milan); Alia Guagni (Fiorentina), Sara Gama (Juventus), Cecilia Salvai (Juventus), Elisa Bartoli (Roma); Aurora Galli (Juventus), Manuela Giugliano (Roma), Valentina Cernoia (Juventus); Valentina Giacinti (Milan), Ilaria Mauro (Fiorentina), Barbara Bonansea (Juventus)
Profile
Company: Justmop.com
Date started: December 2015
Founders: Kerem Kuyucu and Cagatay Ozcan
Sector: Technology and home services
Based: Jumeirah Lake Towers, Dubai
Size: 55 employees and 100,000 cleaning requests a month
Funding: The company’s investors include Collective Spark, Faith Capital Holding, Oak Capital, VentureFriends, and 500 Startups.
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Fines for littering
In Dubai:
Dh200 for littering or spitting in the Dubai Metro
Dh500 for throwing cigarette butts or chewing gum on the floor, or littering from a vehicle.
Dh1,000 for littering on a beach, spitting in public places, throwing a cigarette butt from a vehicle
In Sharjah and other emirates
Dh500 for littering - including cigarette butts and chewing gum - in public places and beaches in Sharjah
Dh2,000 for littering in Sharjah deserts
Dh500 for littering from a vehicle in Ras Al Khaimah
Dh1,000 for littering from a car in Abu Dhabi
Dh1,000 to Dh100,000 for dumping waste in residential or public areas in Al Ain
Dh10,000 for littering at Ajman's beaches
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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HWJN
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MATCH INFO
Fixture: Thailand v UAE, Tuesday, 4pm (UAE)
TV: Abu Dhabi Sports
Temple numbers
Expected completion: 2022
Height: 24 meters
Ground floor banquet hall: 370 square metres to accommodate about 750 people
Ground floor multipurpose hall: 92 square metres for up to 200 people
First floor main Prayer Hall: 465 square metres to hold 1,500 people at a time
First floor terrace areas: 2,30 square metres
Temple will be spread over 6,900 square metres
Structure includes two basements, ground and first floor
The Saga Continues
Wu-Tang Clan
(36 Chambers / Entertainment One)
Company Fact Box
Company name/date started: Abwaab Technologies / September 2019
Founders: Hamdi Tabbaa, co-founder and CEO. Hussein Alsarabi, co-founder and CTO
Based: Amman, Jordan
Sector: Education Technology
Size (employees/revenue): Total team size: 65. Full-time employees: 25. Revenue undisclosed
Stage: early-stage startup
Investors: Adam Tech Ventures, Endure Capital, Equitrust, the World Bank-backed Innovative Startups SMEs Fund, a London investment fund, a number of former and current executives from Uber and Netflix, among others.
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4-cyl turbo
Power: 247hp at 6,500rpm
Torque: 370Nm from 1,500-3,500rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 7.8L/100km
Price: from Dh94,900
On sale: now
Heather, the Totality
Matthew Weiner,
Canongate
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