RTA to beef up public transport services during Eid al Adha holiday
![RTA to beef up public transport services during Eid al Adha holiday](https://wam.ae/assets/images/default-sm.jpg)
Dubai, 1st Oct. 2014 (WAM) - As part of its preparations for the reception of Eid al-Adha, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has mapped out a comprehensive plan for traffic movement and mass transit services during the Eid al-Adha holiday, in order to serve the needs of the public and road users, and provide premium services that enable them to use mass transit or private vehicles in a safe and easy manner for all.
Engineer Maitha bin Udai, CEO of RTA Traffic and Roads Agency cum Head of the Traffic Management Team and Dealing with Operational Plans during Annual Events, said, "The RTA has prepared the necessary operational plans to serve passengers during Eid al-Adha holiday, which usually witnesses traffic jams every year. The plan includes Burj Khalifa, where more than 55 directional signs will be installed to direct traffic to and from the Burj Khalifa area in more than one direction, be it from Oud Metha Road through Asayil Street, which has been opened recently; through Zabeel bridges via Al Saada Street, or by using the internal roads network in the Business Bay area to access Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road in order to ease pressure on the Financial Center Street. In order to ensure smooth traffic flow during various peak hours, the traffic signs in Financial Center Street will be monitored and controlled to ensure the highest possible traffic flow." Bin Udai expects that the traffic movement in the Financial Center Street to improve this year thanks to establishing a new alternative entrance and exit in the area represented by the recently opened road that links Asayil Street to Oud Metha Street, thus providing road users heading to and from to Burj Khalifa area with other alternatives. In an anticipation of shortage of parking spaces in the Dubai Mall, Bin Udai said, "The entrenches to the Dubai Mall will be closed in coordination with Dubai Police and the Dubai Mall Administration, and directing customers to use the surface parking spaces behind Dubai World Trade Centre, where a dedicated bus route is available to transport customers to Dubai Mall.
In this context, the RTA is launching an extensive campaign to ensure environment safety within the Right of Way, including roads, public squares, parking spaces, bridges, tunnels and around the locations of RTA project. This campaign comes in the context of sharing Eid al-Adha celebrations with community members and out of the RTA’s keenness to spruce up the city on this occasion. This move also reflects the RTA’s keenness to nurture clean, sound and sanitary environment so that it gains the satisfaction and comfort of all residents and visitors, given that the city attracts multitudes of visitors and tourists from within the UAE and beyond during holidays and occasions.
The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has charted a plan to step up the services of public transit means, particularly taxicabs, as part of its preparations for the onset of Eid al-Adha in a bid to fulfill the needs of the public & road users, and avail this service in a safe and smooth manner.
Adel Shakeri, Director of Transportation Systems, Head of Traffic Management and Coping with Operational Plans During Annual Events Team, said: "A team has been set to manage events comprising a bunch of specialists well aware of events held in the Emirate of Dubai, and who are capable of coordinating with bodies concerned with the staging of events in the Emirate, and stand ready to take appropriate measures and precautions.
"Ten buses are being deployed to provide free rides to the public on the route from Dubai Mall to the Dubai World Trade Center in order to make for any potential shortage of taxicabs in vital areas of the Emirate. The service will be in operation from 1 pm up to the end of events that spread all over the Eid days. The Dubai Events Management Team along with traffic organizers and controllers team will be at site and venues of major events to cope directly with the turn of events," explained Shakeri.
As regards the taxi sector in Dubai, Shakeri stated that all limo companies have been allowed to transit passengers from the Dubai Mall; which is considered a premier destination and a main attraction to tourists and visitors. Coordination is in hand with Franchise Companies operating taxicabs (Dubai Taxi, Cars Taxi, Arabia Taxi, National Taxi, and Metro Taxi) to ensure that their fleets are fully operational during Eid days, noting that the number of taxicabs in Dubai currently comprises 8997 cabs.
WAM/tfaham