Dubai plans more taxi and bus lanes for faster connectivity

Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has unveiled plans to extend dedicated bus and taxi lanes to help cut travel time by 44 per cent in some parts.

The lanes, extending 37 km, will be constructed between 2023 and 2027, the RTA clarified.

It will cover eight main streets mainly 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.

It will bring the total length of dedicated bus and taxi lanes in the Emirate to 48.6 km.

Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General, Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, highlighted how the move will encourage more residents to ditch their cars and use the public transport.

This project is expected to reduce bus journey time by 44 per cent on the 2nd December Street, 39 per cent on the Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah Street and Amman Street, 28 per cent on the Omar bin Al-Khattab Street, 27 per cent on Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Street, 25 per cent on Al-Nahda Street, and 18 per cent on Al Satwa Road.

Al Tayer said the move "is expected to contribute to a 30 per cent increase in public transport riders by 2030 on some streets".

That's not all. It will also help "reduce the requirements of additional buses due to the journey time saved". 

The decision, he added, is based on the success of the "past three phases on the project" that "improved the bus journey times by about 24 per cent".