Dh600 Dubai fine for breaching bus lanes

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced that it will tentatively start enforcement of automated offence reporting system against vehicles in breach of the Bus and Taxi Dedicated Lane Code from January 1, 2015 until end-March, where a fine of Dh600 will be recorded against offending vehicles.

Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of RTA, said: “In the first stage, RTA will start implementation of the system on the dedicated bus and taxi lane at Naif Street in a sector extending about one kilometre, serving nine routes and accommodating as much as 36 buses during peak hours. The RTA will instal seven surveillance cameras along the lane to monitor vehicles in breach of the system. Offences will be reported either automatically through surveillance cameras or manually through Dubai Police patrols.

“Order No (1) for 2010 regarding Dedicated Lanes on Dubai Roads has specified the vehicles permitted to use the dedicated lanes, namely public buses, taxis, Dubai Police vehicles, Civil Defence vehicles and ambulances vehicles attending to emergency cases. Private vehicles are permitted to use the dedicated bus lane only in the event of entering or exiting subsidiary roads,” said Al Tayer.

He said the move aims to increase the share of public transit means in the movement of people in Dubai, “ease traffic congestions, improve efficiency of on-time bus arrivals, cut duration of taxi trips, reduce the direct and indirect operational costs of public transit means, and curbing carbon emission polluting the environment”.

Al Tayer called on motorists to abide by the rules and avoid driving private vehicles on bus priority lanes.

It is noteworthy that in 2010 the RTA introduced Phase I of the Dedicated Bus & Taxi Lanes project stretching about six kilometres covering Al Mankhool Street (from Satwa R/A to Sheikh Rashid Street), Al Khaleej Street (from the intersection with Khalid bin Al Waleed Street up to Al Musalla Street opposite to Hyatt Regency Hotel), Khalid Bin Al Waleed Street (from the intersection with Al Mina Street to Street 16), and Al Ghubaiba Street (from the intersection with Al Mina Street to Street 12). In 2011, the RTA embarked on Phase II of the project which covered parts of Naif Street extending one kilometer from Al Musalla Street to Al Khaleej Street, and parts of Ettihad Street extending one kilometre in the direction of Dubai starting from the outskirts of Dubai up to Al Nahda Interchange.

Surveys and studies conducted by RTA revealed that 77 per cent of respondents wish the practice of dedicated bus and taxi lanes to be widened to cover other streets in Dubai. 75 per cent of them indicated that the project contributed to reducing the journey time, while 86 per cent of bus drivers were satisfied with the project as it had cut short the journey time as well as increased the ridership of mass transit means.

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