Khaleej Times

There’s one car for every two residents in Dubai

- Angel Tesorero angel@khaleejtim­es.com

dubai — Despite the increase in public transport ridership, the number of cars in Dubai is on the rise, figures show.

According to the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), the emirate’s vehicle density is one of the highest in the world.

Data shows the average car ownership in Dubai is one for every two residents, or 540 vehicles per 1,000 people whilst cities like New York, London, Singapore and Hong Kong have 305, 213, 101 and 63 vehicles per 1,000 residents redublin spectively. According to official figures, the number of vehicles in Dubai back in 2006, was around 740,000, but this haddoubled to 1.4 million at the end of 2014.

Adding to the vehicle density in Dubai, around 450,000 vehicles from other emirates enter the city on an average daily.

We are a country of 200 nationalit­ies and this shows the harmony and tolerance in the country that unite us together.” Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance

The public transport network has become the backbone of people mobility in Dubai.” Mattar Al Tayer, RTA director-general and chairman of the board of executive directors

dubai — Dubai achieved yet another Guinness World Record on Thursday, this time for the most number of nationalit­ies riding the Metro together.

The feat, which saw commuters coming from 96 countries hopping on the Metro and forming a human chain, was the culminatio­n of the week-long celebratio­n of Public Transport Day organised by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan, Minister of Tolerance, and Mattar Al Tayer, RTA directorge­neral and chairman of the board of executive directors, received the title from Guinness World Records adjudicato­rs at the Etisalat Metro Station. It broke the previous record of 75 nationalit­ies set by Norway in 2013.

“The achievemen­t comes at a very opportune time as we are also celebratin­g the UAE Flag Day. We are a country of 200 nationalit­ies and this shows the harmony and

tolerance in the country that unite us together,” said Al Nahyan.

The event is also part of the RTA’s 13th anniversar­y celebratio­n and in line with its mandate to support Dubai’s efforts to improve the environmen­t and achieve sustainabl­e developmen­t by encouragin­g the public to use mass transit.

Al Tayer said: “The public transport network has become the backbone of people mobility in Dubai. The number of public transport riders has soared from 163 million riders in 2006 to 551 million riders in 2017.”

“From January to the end of September this year, the public transport network has attracted 410 million riders. The Dubai Metro Red and Green lines have served about 1.2 billion riders from the launch of the service in September 2009 to the end of August last.”

“Accordingl­y, the share of public transport in people’s mobility has grown steadily from 6 per cent in 2006 to as much as 17 per cent in 2017, and the RTA is seeking to push it to 30 per cent by 2030,” he added.

To make public transport the ideal mobility choice for people in Dubai, Al Tayer said that the “RTA is planning to widen the bus network to cover 20 new areas and improve the current services across the city based on critical demographi­c changes by 2020”.

“The number of air-conditione­d bus stops will increase from 623 to 787 in 2020, and the number of buses will rise from 1,507 to 1,917 by 2020. The RTA will also revamp the marine transit modes, which saw considerab­le growth following the opening of the Dubai Water Canal linking the Business Bay Canal with the Arabian Gulf,” he underlined.

Al Tayer also noted that the RTA had made considerab­le progress in the extension of the Dubai Metro Red Line to the site of Expo 2020. “Constructi­on works in all metro viaducts are scheduled for completion in the second half of November. The first of the new Dubai Metro trains is expected to arrive in Dubai in the same month. The trial run of trains will start in February 2020,” he added.

 ??  ?? People of various nationalit­ies hold their hands to create a human chain inside the Dubai Metro to break a Guinness record. The previous record was of 75 nationalit­ies set in Norway in 2013.
People of various nationalit­ies hold their hands to create a human chain inside the Dubai Metro to break a Guinness record. The previous record was of 75 nationalit­ies set in Norway in 2013.
 ?? Photos by Shihab ?? Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan and other dignitarie­s take a tour of the metro during the record-breaking attempt on Thursday. —
Photos by Shihab Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan and other dignitarie­s take a tour of the metro during the record-breaking attempt on Thursday. —
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