Special taxi and bus lanes set to cut Dubai travel times
Dubai is set to have separate bus and taxi lanes stretching across 50 kilometres by 2027 – with about 40km being built over the next five years.
The project – part of a larger goal of getting people to leave their cars at home – will slash bus travel times.
The Roads and Transport Authority announced yesterday that the plan will cover eight main streets.
These are: Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street; Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Street; 2nd December Street; Amman Street; Al Satwa Road; Al Nahda Street; Omar bin Al Khattab Street and Naif Street.
The authority said the lanes would nearly halve the journey time for bus users on busy routes such as 2nd December Street.
“Widening the scope of dedicated bus lanes increases the average bus speed and reduces the travel time during peak hours by more than 40 per cent,” said Mattar Al Tayer, the authority’s director general.
“The project is expected to contribute to a 30 per cent increase in public transport riders by 2030 on some streets, and reduce the need for extra buses due to the journey time saved.”
Mr Al Tayer said this was part of the authority’s strategy to improve living standards and was in line with policies in the West that encouraged people to use public transport.
He said several cities in Europe and the US used such bus and taxi lanes to cut journey times, reduce costs and tackle pollution.
The lanes in Dubai will be clearly marked out in red. They will also have large signs that ensure these are used by buses and taxis only.
On 2nd December Street, the project will cut time spent on the bus by 44 per cent. On Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Street and Amman Street, journey times will fall by 39 per cent. On Omar bin Al Khattab Street, Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street, Al Nahda Street and Al Satwa Road, travel time will be reduced by between 18 and 28 per cent.
The work to add 37km of lanes will take place between 2023 and 2027, bringing the total length of such transport routes to 48.6km.
The project has been tried out with success across several crowded roads and intersections in areas such as Khalid bin Al Waleed Street, Naif Street and Al Ghubaiba Street.