DUBAI // Plans to upgrade Dubai’s transport infrastructure and ease traffic congestion will come into play from next year, a top Roads and Transport Authority official said on Monday.
Maitha bin Adai, chief executive of the RTA’s traffic and roads agency, told delegates at the Gulf Traffic Exhibition and Conference that a new phase of a smart management system would begin next year.
“During this phase the RTA will study the infrastructure network needed to assist in managing and controlling the growing traffic in the emirate that is expected to reach 3.2 million residents by 2020,” she said.
The three-day meeting at the Dubai International Convention and Exhibition Centre ends on Tuesday. So far more than 200 global traffic and transport infrastructure suppliers have attended to look for new business in a region that recently committed to investing about Dh444 billion.
Building on an integrated system was vital, said Ms bin Adai, adding that projects taken up in Dubai had encouraged public transport networks in the region.
“Our experience has taught us in that building more roads by itself does not solve the problem of congestion,” she said.
“Transport is vital to our economic activities and social life and transportation must be planned, designed and operated as a complete system with integrated modes of transportation like pedestrians, bicycles, rail, bus, water transport, taxis and vehicles.
“The success of mega projects opens doors for similar ambitious projects not only within the United Arab Emirates but also for entire Gulf region.
“These projects proved for the first time in the Gulf area that rail projects can be a huge success despite the high temperatures and humidity during several months of the year.”
Ms bin Adai plotted several milestones such as the opening of the Metro Red Line in 2009, followed by the Green Line in 2011 and Dubai Tram launch last month.
Public transport accounted for 800,000 passenger trips daily, 14 per cent of the emirate’s daily journeys. In 2006 this was less than 6 per cent and there are plans to increase the figure to 20 per cent by 2020 and 30 per cent by 2030.
Intelligent traffic systems include upgrading and synchronising traffic signals, easy use of Salik accounts, and messaging signs on main roads to alert motorists of traffic and road conditions.
About 300,000 motorists already use the RTA’s recently released Smart Drive navigation application that provides live traffic information and route maps.
Experts said more needed to be done due to increased pressure on the roads.
Subhash Joshi, Frost & Sullivan’s industry manager for automotive and transport in the Middle East and North Africa region, said traffic was heavy every evening on Sheikh Zayed Road causing a trip to the airport from the Greens near Tecom to take at least 90 minutes.
“There is need to reduce this because whether you take Al Khail Road or Sheikh Zayed it takes that much time, so there is a requirement of a smart application that will make vehicles more connected and also make life easier,” he said.
“Dubai is already using text-based parking and toll gate management, but now there is a need to move to the next level and provide more augmented services.”
The need to keep pedestrians safe was also stressed by Ms bin Adai.
“Emphasis on pedestrians will continue to be part of transportation design, construction and operation,” she said.
In 2006, the authority drew up its first pedestrian safety plan after the rate of deaths involving pedestrians reached 44 per cent on the roads.
This plan has resulted in a 40 per cent reduction in pedestrian deaths, from 78 fatalities in 2009 to 50 last year, said Ms Joshi.
rtalwar@thenational.ae
THE SPECS
Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch
Power: 710bhp
Torque: 770Nm
Speed: 0-100km/h 2.9 seconds
Top Speed: 340km/h
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On sale: now
Conflict, drought, famine
Estimates of the number of deaths caused by the famine range from 400,000 to 1 million, according to a document prepared for the UK House of Lords in 2024.
It has been claimed that the policies of the Ethiopian government, which took control after deposing Emperor Haile Selassie in a military-led revolution in 1974, contributed to the scale of the famine.
Dr Miriam Bradley, senior lecturer in humanitarian studies at the University of Manchester, has argued that, by the early 1980s, “several government policies combined to cause, rather than prevent, a famine which lasted from 1983 to 1985. Mengistu’s government imposed Stalinist-model agricultural policies involving forced collectivisation and villagisation [relocation of communities into planned villages].
The West became aware of the catastrophe through a series of BBC News reports by journalist Michael Buerk in October 1984 describing a “biblical famine” and containing graphic images of thousands of people, including children, facing starvation.
Band Aid
Bob Geldof, singer with the Irish rock group The Boomtown Rats, formed Band Aid in response to the horrific images shown in the news broadcasts.
With Midge Ure of the band Ultravox, he wrote the hit charity single Do They Know it’s Christmas in December 1984, featuring a string of high-profile musicians.
Following the single’s success, the idea to stage a rock concert evolved.
Live Aid was a series of simultaneous concerts that took place at Wembley Stadium in London, John F Kennedy Stadium in Philadelphia, the US, and at various other venues across the world.
The combined event was broadcast to an estimated worldwide audience of 1.5 billion.
The years Ramadan fell in May
Ferrari 12Cilindri specs
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Company profile
Company: Verity
Date started: May 2021
Founders: Kamal Al-Samarrai, Dina Shoman and Omar Al Sharif
Based: Dubai
Sector: FinTech
Size: four team members
Stage: Intially bootstrapped but recently closed its first pre-seed round of $800,000
Investors: Wamda, VentureSouq, Beyond Capital and regional angel investors
The%20specs
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Mia Man’s tips for fermentation
- Start with a simple recipe such as yogurt or sauerkraut
- Keep your hands and kitchen tools clean. Sanitize knives, cutting boards, tongs and storage jars with boiling water before you start.
- Mold is bad: the colour pink is a sign of mold. If yogurt turns pink as it ferments, you need to discard it and start again. For kraut, if you remove the top leaves and see any sign of mold, you should discard the batch.
- Always use clean, closed, airtight lids and containers such as mason jars when fermenting yogurt and kraut. Keep the lid closed to prevent insects and contaminants from getting in.
Miss Granny
Director: Joyce Bernal
Starring: Sarah Geronimo, James Reid, Xian Lim, Nova Villa
3/5
(Tagalog with Eng/Ar subtitles)
Blonde
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What can victims do?
Always use only regulated platforms
Stop all transactions and communication on suspicion
Save all evidence (screenshots, chat logs, transaction IDs)
Report to local authorities
Warn others to prevent further harm
Courtesy: Crystal Intelligence
Business Insights
- As per the document, there are six filing options, including choosing to report on a realisation basis and transitional rules for pre-tax period gains or losses.
- SMEs with revenue below Dh3 million per annum can opt for transitional relief until 2026, treating them as having no taxable income.
- Larger entities have specific provisions for asset and liability movements, business restructuring, and handling foreign permanent establishments.
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RESULTS
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Jumanji: The Next Level
Director: Jake Kasdan
Stars: Dwayne Johnson, Kevin Hart, Karen Gillan, Jack Black, Nick Jonas
Two out of five stars
