ABU DHABI // It will take more than making driving more expensive to get people out of their cars and onto mass transit, some people have told the Abu Dhabi Department of Transport (DoT).
Anti-congestion measures being considered by the department such as road tolls and costlier fuel, parking and vehicle registration would only affect lower-income people and not change other motorists' behaviour, said some members of focus groups organised by the department.
The DoT has said such measures may be needed to create a significant shift away from cars to rail and bus.
"Who would be most affected? Working people - only the rich can afford to keep cars with these proposals," said one Asian woman.
"They are suggesting these new means of transport to make life easier for people, so why do they want to do these things to make life harder for everyone?" said one expatriate Arab man.
People should be encouraged to use public transit through advertising and education campaigns instead, some suggested.
The report on the interviews with 10 focus groups of residents, held in November, was recently posted on the department's website.
Emirati men, Emirati women, expatriate Arab men, expatriate Arab women, expatriate Asian men, expatriate Asian women, expatriate Westerners, Emirati male students, Emirati female students and lower-income workers were all questioned on the issues that would influence their use of public transit.
The consultations were held to involve the public in the drawing up the surface transport master plan, which was unveiled to the public earlier this month.
A detailed technical report is expected in the next two weeks.
The plan, to be implemented in five-year phases until 2030, includes a high-speed metro line and a network of trams, buses and ferries that will put public transit within a five-minute walk for all residents.
The DoT expects that it will be difficult to establish the mass transit system as an accepted mode of transport.
Yet for the plan to be a success, it will be necessary to get a significant number of people from all segments of society to start using public transit.
"A scenario whereby lower-middle class white collar, blue-collar and labouring classes switch to public transport leaving the roads and parking spaces free for the use of wealthier car drivers is not a realistic one, given the expectation of a significantly expanded population," the report said.
The DoT has included measures to discourage the use of cars in its master plan but said it would not implement them until alternative transport was available.
A parking management programme is to be unveiled in June that is expected to include a timetable for rolling out pay-and-display meters and building multi-storey car parks.
Members of the focus groups were also queried on when and why they would use the different modes of transport, whether there should be segregation of men and women and how it should be done, and how they would feel about the introduction of a park-and-ride system.
While almost all of them said they were looking forward to and would try the new transit options, Emiratis and some wealthier expatriates, are expecting a high standard of convenience, speed, comfort and safety.
How to segregate males and females sparked long discussions, with the consensus favouring reserved seating for women and perhaps a glass partition on metros to separate the sexes.
Separate carriages for families could feature on the regional rail system.
Young Arab women wanted visible security features on public transit, such as CCTV systems and uniformed security staff.
The department will be watching with interest the opening of the metro in Dubai, where there will be separate carriages for "gold class" ticket holders and for women.
The Roads and Transport Authority also recently launched a women-only bus service.
Residents spoken to yesterday echoed the focus groups' opposition to road pricing, though some, such as Abdullah Ali Alsuwaidi, 25, felt it was necessary to ease congestion on Abu Dhabi island.
"There is a congestion problem and if it is not too much I think it will help."
Meanwhile, women who currently use public buses thought there should be more space for them.
Brenda Hurst, 39, from Mumbai, favoured a separate minibus for women. "Sometimes men crush us because everyone wants to travel at the same time," she said.
The report also revealed that the department received more than 1,000 e-mails with feedback and 477,694 hits to the plan's website, www.transportabudhabi.ae, between May 2008 and January. Also, 11 experts from around the world were invited to Abu Dhabi for three days to offer their suggestions.
The master plan is to be the focus at the Urban Transportation 2009 conference in Abu Dhabi on Sunday.
mchung@thenational.ae
The White Lotus: Season three
Creator: Mike White
Starring: Walton Goggins, Jason Isaacs, Natasha Rothwell
Rating: 4.5/5
Skewed figures
In the village of Mevagissey in southwest England the housing stock has doubled in the last century while the number of residents is half the historic high. The village's Neighbourhood Development Plan states that 26% of homes are holiday retreats. Prices are high, averaging around £300,000, £50,000 more than the Cornish average of £250,000. The local average wage is £15,458.
Name: Brendalle Belaza
From: Crossing Rubber, Philippines
Arrived in the UAE: 2007
Favourite place in Abu Dhabi: NYUAD campus
Favourite photography style: Street photography
Favourite book: Harry Potter
Specs
Engine: Dual-motor all-wheel-drive electric
Range: Up to 610km
Power: 905hp
Torque: 985Nm
Price: From Dh439,000
Available: Now
Kanye%20West
%3Cp%3EYe%20%E2%80%94%20the%20rapper%20formerly%20known%20as%20Kanye%20West%20%E2%80%94%20has%20seen%20his%20net%20worth%20fall%20to%20%24400%20million%20in%20recent%20weeks.%20That%E2%80%99s%20a%20precipitous%20drop%20from%20Bloomberg%E2%80%99s%20estimates%20of%20%246.8%20billion%20at%20the%20end%20of%202021.%3Cbr%3EYe%E2%80%99s%20wealth%20plunged%20after%20business%20partners%2C%20including%20Adidas%2C%20severed%20ties%20with%20him%20on%20the%20back%20of%20anti-Semitic%20remarks%20earlier%20this%20year.%3Cbr%3EWest%E2%80%99s%20present%20net%20worth%20derives%20from%20cash%2C%20his%20music%2C%20real%20estate%20and%20a%20stake%20in%20former%20wife%20Kim%20Kardashian%E2%80%99s%20shapewear%20firm%2C%20Skims.%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Other acts on the Jazz Garden bill
Sharrie Williams
The American singer is hugely respected in blues circles due to her passionate vocals and songwriting. Born and raised in Michigan, Williams began recording and touring as a teenage gospel singer. Her career took off with the blues band The Wiseguys. Such was the acclaim of their live shows that they toured throughout Europe and in Africa. As a solo artist, Williams has also collaborated with the likes of the late Dizzy Gillespie, Van Morrison and Mavis Staples.
Lin Rountree
An accomplished smooth jazz artist who blends his chilled approach with R‘n’B. Trained at the Duke Ellington School of the Arts in Washington, DC, Rountree formed his own band in 2004. He has also recorded with the likes of Kem, Dwele and Conya Doss. He comes to Dubai on the back of his new single Pass The Groove, from his forthcoming 2018 album Stronger Still, which may follow his five previous solo albums in cracking the top 10 of the US jazz charts.
Anita Williams
Dubai-based singer Anita Williams will open the night with a set of covers and swing, jazz and blues standards that made her an in-demand singer across the emirate. The Irish singer has been performing in Dubai since 2008 at venues such as MusicHall and Voda Bar. Her Jazz Garden appearance is career highlight as she will use the event to perform the original song Big Blue Eyes, the single from her debut solo album, due for release soon.
Ammar 808:
Maghreb United
Sofyann Ben Youssef
Glitterbeat
Mercer, the investment consulting arm of US services company Marsh & McLennan, expects its wealth division to at least double its assets under management (AUM) in the Middle East as wealth in the region continues to grow despite economic headwinds, a company official said.
Mercer Wealth, which globally has $160 billion in AUM, plans to boost its AUM in the region to $2-$3bn in the next 2-3 years from the present $1bn, said Yasir AbuShaban, a Dubai-based principal with Mercer Wealth.
“Within the next two to three years, we are looking at reaching $2 to $3 billion as a conservative estimate and we do see an opportunity to do so,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Mercer does not directly make investments, but allocates clients’ money they have discretion to, to professional asset managers. They also provide advice to clients.
“We have buying power. We can negotiate on their (client’s) behalf with asset managers to provide them lower fees than they otherwise would have to get on their own,” he added.
Mercer Wealth’s clients include sovereign wealth funds, family offices, and insurance companies among others.
From its office in Dubai, Mercer also looks after Africa, India and Turkey, where they also see opportunity for growth.
Wealth creation in Middle East and Africa (MEA) grew 8.5 per cent to $8.1 trillion last year from $7.5tn in 2015, higher than last year’s global average of 6 per cent and the second-highest growth in a region after Asia-Pacific which grew 9.9 per cent, according to consultancy Boston Consulting Group (BCG). In the region, where wealth grew just 1.9 per cent in 2015 compared with 2014, a pickup in oil prices has helped in wealth generation.
BCG is forecasting MEA wealth will rise to $12tn by 2021, growing at an annual average of 8 per cent.
Drivers of wealth generation in the region will be split evenly between new wealth creation and growth of performance of existing assets, according to BCG.
Another general trend in the region is clients’ looking for a comprehensive approach to investing, according to Mr AbuShaban.
“Institutional investors or some of the families are seeing a slowdown in the available capital they have to invest and in that sense they are looking at optimizing the way they manage their portfolios and making sure they are not investing haphazardly and different parts of their investment are working together,” said Mr AbuShaban.
Some clients also have a higher appetite for risk, given the low interest-rate environment that does not provide enough yield for some institutional investors. These clients are keen to invest in illiquid assets, such as private equity and infrastructure.
“What we have seen is a desire for higher returns in what has been a low-return environment specifically in various fixed income or bonds,” he said.
“In this environment, we have seen a de facto increase in the risk that clients are taking in things like illiquid investments, private equity investments, infrastructure and private debt, those kind of investments were higher illiquidity results in incrementally higher returns.”
The Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, one of the largest sovereign wealth funds, said in its 2016 report that has gradually increased its exposure in direct private equity and private credit transactions, mainly in Asian markets and especially in China and India. The authority’s private equity department focused on structured equities owing to “their defensive characteristics.”
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
Formula Middle East Calendar (Formula Regional and Formula 4)
Round 1: January 17-19, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 2: January 22-23, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 3: February 7-9, Dubai Autodrome – Dubai
Round 4: February 14-16, Yas Marina Circuit – Abu Dhabi
Round 5: February 25-27, Jeddah Corniche Circuit – Saudi Arabia
The National's picks
4.35pm: Tilal Al Khalediah
5.10pm: Continous
5.45pm: Raging Torrent
6.20pm: West Acre
7pm: Flood Zone
7.40pm: Straight No Chaser
8.15pm: Romantic Warrior
8.50pm: Calandogan
9.30pm: Forever Young
Crazy Rich Asians
Director: Jon M Chu
Starring: Constance Wu, Henry Golding, Michelle Yeon, Gemma Chan
Four stars
'The Woman in the House Across the Street from the Girl in the Window'
Director:Michael Lehmann
Stars:Kristen Bell
Rating: 1/5
