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19 March 2024

Dubai traffic jams? Ford Chairman's solution

A file picture of a traffic jam on Jumeirah Beach Road. (Bindu Rai)

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By Staff

In an event held in conjunction with Ford Motor Company, the Dubai Chamber called upon businesses and governments, automotive industry and energy companies, scientists and urban planners locally and regionally to collaborate to find solutions to mobility issues.

The event 'Future of Mobility' was hosted in honour of William Clay Ford Junior, Executive Chairman of Ford Motor Company and great grandson of Henry Ford, during his first official visit to the UAE.

“As technology quickly evolves, we must push ourselves to look for new opportunities to solve bigger issues. Together, we must find ways that mobility can improve the human condition, and I congratulate the Dubai Chamber on a timely and engaging conversation on this topic,” said William Ford.

“It is important that the public and private sector works together to find solutions to mobility issues. Dubai and Dubai businesses must be at the heart of the future mobility discussion. We want to be the model for the global Smart City in every sense of the word,” said Hisham Al Shirawi, Vice-Chairman of Dubai Chamber. 

“Transportation is an essential component within the current and future growth infrastructure for Dubai, and for all modern cities. Mobility and movement – of people and of goods – have been integral to position Dubai as ‘the Gateway to the World’,” he added.

“So what will it take to solve the issue?,” asked Ford.

“The answer is not more of the same. My great-grandfather once said that before he invented the Model T, 'If I had asked people then what they wanted, they would have answered ‘faster horses’,” he quipped.

“Today we need that same leap in thinking to preserve mobility worldwide. The answer is not more roads,” said Ford.

“You may have heard the term ‘smart cars'. Cars and trucks today are being built with increasingly more powerful microprocessors. You see the technology when you get behind the wheel of a new vehicle. We are equipping cars and trucks with new technologies that improve the driving experience, guide you to your destination, manage the car’s functions and keep you and your passengers entertained.

“So we are building smart cars, and they will continue to get smarter. But we also need to build smart roads, smart parking, smart public transportation systems and more – and we need to connect them all using wireless telecommunications. Why?  Because when you link the vehicle to the world around it, you begin to attack global gridlock.  

“To keep traffic moving, we need an integrated transportation network that uses real time data to optimise personal mobility on a massive scale,” he said.

Ford cited the example of Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City, where he said work was already in progress. “It uses driverless electric vehicles that communicate with one another and travel beneath the city streets with a series of pedestrian walkways up above. This is an incredibly ingenious approach that links different mobility options together,” he said.

“The era of the ‘connected car’ already has begun, as we equip vehicles with high-speed wireless connectivity. But imagine what is possible when our cars begin talking to each other and the roadways and networks around them. The systems that we use today to bring entertainment into the vehicle and help us with directions are the same systems that will help us create a smart vehicle network,” he noted.

"My day starts and ends with a 50km commute,” he said. “And I never know what to expect in terms of traffic - accidents, road work or long delays for no real reason whatsoever. I presume this sounds familiar to many of you. 

“But if our cars could talk to other cars and connect with the network of roads, things would change quickly. If a truck ahead of you on the highway hits slow traffic: your car is immediately alerted and told to reroute itself. 

“Or what if there is a pothole on the road ahead? Your car could be warned and you could steer clear, eliminating the potential for damage. At the same time, the information is passed to road maintenance officials and a repair crew is dispatched. Delays are avoided and problems are fixed in less time.

“The potential benefits from vehicle-to-vehicle and vehicle-to-infrastructure connectivity are tremendous as the automobile becomes better integrated into the broader transportation system,” he said.

Infrastructure is at the core of Dubai’s growth story. The 2014 World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report rated UAE the first in quality of roads and second in quality of infrastructure worldwide.

Dubai has over 1 million registered cars as per the Roads and Transport Authority. According to Ford Motor Company, the number of cars on the road is forecasted to grow from 1 billion to 4 billion globally by 2050. The future of mobility depends on a collaborative vision for smart transportation and development of intelligent vehicles and transport systems.

According to PricewaterhouseCoopers, globally about 1 billion people will move into cities over the next decade, accounting for a 25 to 50 per cent increase in urbanisation. In 25 years, this number will increase to 9 billion, more than the entire world’s population. If they all drive cars, global gridlock will be a key issue.

According to a Dubai Chamber report on the logistics sector, the second highest revenue generating segment of the UAE logistic market is the transportation which accounts for about 18.8 per cent of the total sector revenue.

The UAE has been investing heavily in infrastructure development projects over the years. According to Business Monitor International 2013 report, the UAE is investing $58 billion (Dh213 billion) on roads and bridges alone.

Total capital investment in construction and infrastructure in the UAE is set to reach Dh480.7 billion ($131.7 billion) by 2016, a near double from the Dh284.4 billion ($77.4 billion) invested in 2011. By 2016, the sector is expected to form 24.4 per cent of the country’s GDP, underlining its importance in the overall development of the economy.