Saturday, September 20, 2008

More RTA planning

"The emirate's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is considering increasing hourly parking charges to encourage motorists to leave their cars at home and switch to public transport. And fines for parking offences are set to go up.

The RTA estimates that currently only seven per cent of the population use public transport while the rest use private means – a major cause of congestion.

People in Dubai believe that owning a vehicle is a status symbol. That is why some families have more than one car, which is an unnecessary burden to the roads. We have to find ways of eliminating this burden."


Sorry to interrupt the explanations about the problem, but I'd like to add an observation.

The reason so many of us use our private cars is because we don't have a public transport system. Nor do we have enough taxis.

We have no alternative to using our cars.

Even when the Metro opens next year it will serve only a tiny part of the huge area that is now Dubai.

The current bus service is far from adequate and all the news reports I've seen have pointed out flaws in the system.

Oh, and the RTA has added unnecessary bureaucracy to car pooling, making it less attractive to people who would otherwise car pool.

Getting us out of our cars and onto public transport depends on providing a public transport system that is efficient, convenient, clean, safe, reliable and gets us where we want to go when we want to go there.

That we don't have.


The story about how the RTA plans to deter us from using our cars is in EmBiz247, here.

9 comments:

Em said...

you forgot to mention that we have no garages to leave our cars at home. they're also under paid parking areas. and some people need more than one car because the working people in that family have extremely different workplaces and/or hours, making it impossible to carpool within families. why? because no alternative public transport that is efficient enough.

Keef said...

Let's see the RTA bigwigs using buses for a week, hell, even for a day. That might make them realise how completely out of touch they are.

Seabee said...

Mars, the RTA knows the reason that families have more than one car: "People in Dubai believe that owning a vehicle is a status symbol. That is why some families have more than one car." As they keep telling us, they're the experts who know what they're talking about, we ordinary drivers know nothing.

Keefie, oh yeah, I can just imagine them milling around at one of the bus stations with the other several thousand people, in the dust and humidity and 45 degree heat, trying to find a bus that goes where they want to go.
Or walking three or four kilometres to the nearest Metro station.

Anonymous said...

The RTA are becoming increasing good at somescreening their money making initiatives behind the facade of congestion and road safety...

Anonymous said...

What if your only parking space at home is a paid-for one, which at least now is free after 2100? Putting the parking rate up will make it more expensive to leave the car at home, defeating the object of the exercise.

Alexander said...

I've posted about this before, I'm sure. A journalist who talked to RTA grandees 'off the record' reports that their 'strategy' is to increase the cost of owning a car by Dhs 10,000 a year so that we'll use public transport.

Tadaaa!

Seabee said...

Alexander, I think you left that as a comment on one of my earlier postings, I certainly remember it. I have no problem with the principle of getting us out of our cars - but they have to provide alternatives first. And that we don't have.

Anonymous said...

RTA knows best! As always. We're just illiterate crowd, right?

I just checked my options for Dubai Marina-Al Quoz Ind trip to my office using public transport. I don't know where exactly bus stations are, but it looks like 2 buses and some walking from Burj Al Arab to Interchange no 4 are required.

2 AED each ticket, so it's 16 AED daily, and 80 AED weekly (excl. 2 day weekend). For 2 pax.

I pay less than 70 AED every week for gas. For all my transport needs. And it takes me 15 minutes to reach my office.

I try to be environmental friendly, i don't stroll 4L engine car on SZR, but still I need a car here. How tempting RTA offer is for me? IT IS NOT, AT ALL.

Seabee said...

You prove the point Muzzy, there is no viable alternative to using our cars.