Dubai's Salik road toll system turns 16 this month.
The electronic system was launched in Dubai by the Roads and Transport Authority on July 1, 2007. The aim was to reduce traffic congestion on Sheikh Zayed Road, prompting drivers who did not want to pay the Dh4 toll to use alternative routes, namely Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road (311) and Emirates Road (611).
Salik, which translates to clear and moving, works through radio-frequency identification (RFID), which uses electromagnetic fields to identify cars that pass through any of the Salik gates. Motorists were required to purchase a Dh100 Salik tag, which was stuck on windshields. The tag includes Dh50 in credit that is added to an account when activated. If a tag was bought online, an additional charge of Dh20 was applied.
If motorists pass through the toll gate with insufficient balance in their accounts, they have a grace period of five working days to recharge. Failure to do so will result in fines of Dh50 a day. Those who do not have a tag and pass through a gate have 10 working days from the first trip to acquire a Salik tag. After this expires, a fine of Dh100 is imposed on the next trip, which keeps increasing with every time they pass.
When the system was first launched there were two gates: one on Al Garhoud Bridge and another on Sheikh Zayed Road near Mall of the Emirates.
Six more have since been added, including near Al Maktoum Bridge, Al Mamzar South, Al Mamzar North, Al Safa, Airport Tunnel and Jebel Ali. At first there was a Dh24 cap per day per car, meaning that once a car passed through six gates, subsequent trips were free. But that provision was lifted in July 2013.
There has been speculation whether new Salik gates would be added on key roads, particularly in September last year when Salik advertised its IPO on road signs.
In a statement to Wam news agency last year, Salik chairman Mattar Al Tayer of the Roads and Transport Authority said any decision to expand the road toll system or add further gates will depend on RTA's transport strategy.
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The Prison Letters of Nelson Mandela
Edited by Sahm Venter
Published by Liveright
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
If you go...
Fly from Dubai or Abu Dhabi to Chiang Mai in Thailand, via Bangkok, before taking a five-hour bus ride across the Laos border to Huay Xai. The land border crossing at Huay Xai is a well-trodden route, meaning entry is swift, though travellers should be aware of visa requirements for both countries.
Flights from Dubai start at Dh4,000 return with Emirates, while Etihad flights from Abu Dhabi start at Dh2,000. Local buses can be booked in Chiang Mai from around Dh50
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Why it pays to compare
A comparison of sending Dh20,000 from the UAE using two different routes at the same time - the first direct from a UAE bank to a bank in Germany, and the second from the same UAE bank via an online platform to Germany - found key differences in cost and speed. The transfers were both initiated on January 30.
Route 1: bank transfer
The UAE bank charged Dh152.25 for the Dh20,000 transfer. On top of that, their exchange rate margin added a difference of around Dh415, compared with the mid-market rate.
Total cost: Dh567.25 - around 2.9 per cent of the total amount
Total received: €4,670.30
Route 2: online platform
The UAE bank’s charge for sending Dh20,000 to a UK dirham-denominated account was Dh2.10. The exchange rate margin cost was Dh60, plus a Dh12 fee.
Total cost: Dh74.10, around 0.4 per cent of the transaction
Total received: €4,756
The UAE bank transfer was far quicker – around two to three working days, while the online platform took around four to five days, but was considerably cheaper. In the online platform transfer, the funds were also exposed to currency risk during the period it took for them to arrive.
The finalists
Player of the Century, 2001-2020: Cristiano Ronaldo (Juventus), Lionel Messi (Barcelona), Mohamed Salah (Liverpool), Ronaldinho
Coach of the Century, 2001-2020: Pep Guardiola (Manchester City), Jose Mourinho (Tottenham Hotspur), Zinedine Zidane (Real Madrid), Sir Alex Ferguson
Club of the Century, 2001-2020: Al Ahly (Egypt), Bayern Munich (Germany), Barcelona (Spain), Real Madrid (Spain)
Player of the Year: Cristiano Ronaldo, Lionel Messi, Robert Lewandowski (Bayern Munich)
Club of the Year: Bayern Munich, Liverpool, Real Madrid
Coach of the Year: Gian Piero Gasperini (Atalanta), Hans-Dieter Flick (Bayern Munich), Jurgen Klopp (Liverpool)
Agent of the Century, 2001-2020: Giovanni Branchini, Jorge Mendes, Mino Raiola
