Increasing the cost of Salik toll gates and parking during rush hour is likely to see an eventual reduction in the level of congestion on Dubai's main roads, transport experts have said.
The emirate's transport authority announced on Thursday that it would be increasing the cost for motorists to pass through the city's toll gates, from Dh4 to Dh6 during peak hours. This was followed by an announcement that parking in the city would also increase in cost to Dh6 an hour for premium spaces and Dh4 an hour for public spaces, during morning and evening peak hours.
"This [increase in fees] ticks multiple boxes," said Thomas Edelmann, managing director of Road Safety UAE.
"It sends out a strong message and hopefully will encourage people to be a bit more creative in how they travel and to consider not using their cars during rush hour. If you look at the cars on the roads during this period, there are a lot of vehicles with just one person inside.
"If you look at traffic in the mornings, ideally we would like to see more children travelling in school buses. If each school bus was full with 30 to 40 children, it would mean 30 to 40 fewer cars on the roads at the same time."
Another expert said the new fees could lead to motorists changing their habits to avoid being hit in the pocket.
"This might lead to behavioural changes where drivers may adjust their commute times, either leaving earlier or later than usual and considering alternative modes of transport where drivers would be encouraged to carpool, use public buses and the metro," said Dr Aseel Takshe, dean of the School of Environment and Health Sciences at Canadian University Dubai.
"This could have a positive impact on the traffic with fewer cars. This can also then mean that other roads that are toll free might witness more congestion and longer travel time. The increase in tolls can be utilised to maintain and improve road infrastructure where this decision can be part of a broader strategy to preserve the roads’ infrastructure and sustainability."
Roads such as Al Wasl Road, Al Khail Road and Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road could be among those that see extra congestion as a result of the Salik changes.
How do the new Salik fees work?
- The emirate's transport authority said the increase would be enforced between 6am to 10am and 4pm to 8pm. Off-peak charges, between 10am and 4pm and from 8pm to 1am will remain at Dh4.
- The gates will be free to cross between 1am and 6am. The toll will also be Dh4 on Sundays, excluding public holidays, special occasions or major events.
- The variable rates will start at the end of January.
What about the new parking fees?
- Dh6 per hour during peak times from 8am to 10am and 4pm to 8pm in premium parking locations. Dh4 at other locations during this time.
- Tariffs remain unchanged from 10am to 4pm and 8pm to 10pm with free parking overnight from 10pm to 8am and all day Sunday.
What are the premium parking locations?
"The locations for premium parking spaces were selected based on three criteria: first, ease of access to the area using public transport, such as areas within 500 metres of a metro station; second, areas with high parking occupancy during peak periods; and third, density and congestion, such as markets and commercial activity zones," said Eng Mohamed Abdulla Al Ali, chief executive of paid parking facilitators Parkin.
"It was clarified that premium parking spaces include, for example, commercial areas in parts of Deira and Bur Dubai, Downtown Dubai, Business Bay, Jumeirah and Al Wasl Road and other locations."
How have motorists reacted?
The National spoke to people who use Salik tolls most days on their commute from Sharjah to Dubai. They said they would have little option but to pay the extra cost, given the alternative routes were simply too long.
Yaser Msabbeh, a 49-year-old Jordanian who lives in Sharjah, commutes daily to the Al Wasl area in Dubai for work, passing through at least two Salik toll gates in each direction.
“With each gate charging Dh4, my daily toll expenses total Dh16, or about Dh352 monthly,” he said. “The new fees are a strain on my daily expenses. Everything is expensive now, rents are going up and so are the general living costs. We’re barely making ends meet as it is.”
He considered starting using Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road as an alternative route. “But it’s in the opposite direction, and it would add a minimum of one hour to my daily commute," he said.
Jordanian Munawar Hamzah, 50, drives back and forth from Sharjah to her children’s school in Dubai’s Al Qusais. She said what should be a 10-minute drive often stretches to 45 minutes due to traffic.
“Every school day, I pass the Salik gate on my way to drop them off in the morning and again when I pick them up at around 3pm. I already pay eight dirhams each way, which adds up to 16 dirhams daily," she said.
"What may seem like a small amount to some really adds up over time. Currently, I pay around Dh320 a month for a standard 20-school-day month. The increase brings my daily total to Dh20 and my monthly expense to Dh400, that's a 25 per cent increase we will honestly struggle to come up with."
The only viable alternative route would double her commuting time, she added.
Earlier this month, the emirate's government released the results of surveys showing flexible and remote-working policies can ease congestion on Dubai roads, cutting peak-hour traffic by up to 30 per cent.
The surveys, conducted by the Roads and Transport Authority and the Dubai Government Human Resources Department looked at how flexible working hours, with a two-hour start window, and four to five days of remote working per month across both the private and public sectors in Dubai, impacted traffic.
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