New Salik toll gate ready on Al Maktoum Bridge

The new Salik toll gate has been installed on Al Maktoum Bridge.
From September motorists using the bridge will have to pay a toll for using the crossing.

Roads and Transport Authority has planned another toll gate on Shaikh Zayed Road.

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RTA launches new phase of Salik by adding two toll gates at Al Safa and Al Maktoum Bridge

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced the launch of the new phase in the Salik system by installing two new gates - one on Al Safa Park Bridge on Sheikh Zayed Road and the other on Al Maktoum Bridge.

Both Salik toll gates will be activated from September 9, 2008. Passengers passing through Al Safa and the already operational Al Barsha gate will be charged a toll fee of AED4 only once if they pass the two gates in the same journey.

RTA said that there are five available alternative roads and a wide range of public transport services to support the new phase of Salik. The alternative roads include the Business Bay Crossing which includes 13 lanes and connects the airport tunnel with Sheikh Rashid and Al Khail roads.

Al Shandagha Tunnel and Floating Bridge are other alternatives that link the end of Al Ittihad Road near Deira City Center with Al Riyadh Road in Bur Dubai. Emirates Road is also an important alternative which has been expanded by the RTA from three lanes to six lanes in each direction, in addition to the Arabian Ranches intersection that will be finalized in August.

One of the external alternative roads is the Dubai Bypass with 6 lanes in each direction and connecting Dubai with Abu Dhabi and Sharjah without having to pass through Dubai downtown. The construction work for expanding the Sharjah entrance with Dubai at Al Sajaa intersection up to the Al Rawia intersection on Dubai-Al Ain road will be finalized before activating the new phase of Salik system.

Construction on the road projects in Deira which will lead to the alternative routes will also be finalized within already set time schedule. In June 2008 RTA will finish phase one of the Al Nahda intersection - Beirut street project.

The new project aims to develop a highway that connects the Al Quds intersection road with Beirut Street reaching up to the Al Nahda intersection with Beirut Street. The project is part of the development phase of the northern section of Dubai International Airport tunnel.

Traffic management on Al Nahda intersection with Beirut Road also includes diverting the intersection of Al Nahda Road with Beirut Road from controlled intersection using traffic lights to a layered intersection featuring separate levels.

This will be executed by building an upper bridge on Al Nahda road in addition to constructing a tunnel on Beirut Road to improve the traffic performance on these two roads, and to provide a smooth flow on Beirut Road to the airport tunnel in both directions.

RTA has already finished the two lanes bridge in both directions which supports the traffic coming from Abu Hail and Salah Al Deen roads in the Sharjah direction. This project comes within the expansion project of Al Ittihad Road which will be completed by the end of this year.

Public Transport

RTA has provided another alternative in addition to the alternative roads that includes the introduction of new modernized busses. In the next three months, 112 modern buses will be introduced along with five additional lines to support them. A special bus lane on Khalid Bin Waleed, Al Mankhoul, Al Khaleej and Al Mina roads will be activated during the coming three months.

A fast bus lane will be also activated on Al Ittihad, Emirates Road and Sheikh Zayed Road to provide fast trips between Sharjah and Dubai, and Jebel Ali and Tecom. RTA will launch "Awsilni" service for RTA's employees which features luxurious buses with internet services and registration attendance system.

The RTA has recently signed eight strategic agreements with renowned institutions in Dubai for mobility management. Accordingly, RTA will facilitate transport procedures for companies interested in allocating buses for transporting employees to and from homes to the workplace.

Results of first phase

H.E Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of RTA, said that the new phase of Salik project comes after a comprehensive study of the first phase and especially after the new launch of Al Garhoud Bridge. The study focused on the traffic jam at some major roads in Dubai and the alternatives that can resolve this issue.

The study also highlighted the success of the first phase in reducing traffic at toll areas by 25 % and lowered the duration of the journey on Sheikh Zayed road by 50% and increased the average speed from 40 to 80 km/hour.

The study showed high traffic load on Al Maktoum Bridge which caused traffic congestions at some internal roads in Deira. It also pointed to congestions at Al Barsha and Al Sofouh due to the traffic load caused by motorists crowding to avoid passing the Al Barsha toll gate.

The study concluded on the high necessity to launch a new phase of Salik on the congested roads and the need to redistribute traffic on major roads and creek crossings especially after launching the new Garhoud Bridge.

H.E Mattar Al Tayer pointed that during the time that Maktoum Bridge witnesses congestions during peak hours, the parallel roads and bridges like Business Bay Crossing, Garhoud Bridge and Emirates Road are occupied only to 70 % of its capacity.

He mentioned that some motorists avoid crossing under Al Barsha gate by using internal roads that caused congestions at Al Barsha and Al Sofouh and caused disturbance to residents in the area. The only solution to resolve this issue is by installing new toll gate after Al Safa Bridge on Sheikh Zayed Road with toll charges to be deducted only once for each journey from Al Safa to Al Barsha gate and vise versa.

He said that the study emphasized the importance of installing new toll gates on Al Maktoum Bridge in order to reduce congestions on the bridge, and to decrease traffic gridlocks in Deira and to benefit from the new Garhoud bridge and Business Bay Crossing.

"A pioneering project, Salik has proven to be highly efficient since its inception as a unique solution to resolve traffic issues. It also supports RTA's strategy to provide easy and safe transportation," Mattar Al Tayer said.

He added: "Salik is a part of integrated solutions that aim to reduce traffic. These solutions comprise roads projects and infrastructure; metro systems; public transport and marine transport apart from several traffic policies that encourage the use of public transport to reduce traffic jam in Dubai. Salik is an effective tool to reduce the usage of private cars".

H.E Mattar stressed on the success of the Salik services in gaining the trust of motorists and praised their understanding of the positive side of the system in easing traffic congestions and improving traffic infrastructure.

Salik has introduced innovative web services that has gained high acceptance due to its flexibility in offering Salik users with an easy way to add credit to their accounts. By logging on to the Salik website www.salik.ae users can add credit to their Salik accounts by using credit cards or e-dirham or by deducting directly from their bank accounts.

Motorists can also recharge their accounts by visiting Emarat, Eppco and Enoc petrol stations or the branches of Dubai Islamic Bank and Emirates International Bank. Salik users can also check their accounts through the new IVR service offered by the call center by calling 800- Salik (800-72545) and following the voice instructions.

H.E Al Tayer has urged motorists to cancel their accounts after selling their cars or if the tag is damaged by following the correct procedures. He also stressed on the importance of inserting the right account number and pin code while recharging Salik accounts in order to avoid any inconvenience.
/Arabian Business/

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RTA studying phase 2 and 3 of Salik

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is conducting studies on the implementation of the second and third phase of Salik, the road toll system which was introduced for the first time in Dubai in July last year.

Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA, yesterday said the road toll system had been very successful in reducing traffic congestions and that the authority was studying the options regarding the implementation of Phase 2 and 3.

Phase 1 saw the introduction of Salik on the Al Garhoud Bridge and at the Fourth Interchange near the Mall of the Emirates.

Asked whether toll gates would be installed at the recently launched road projects including the 6th Crossing across the Dubai Creek, Al Tayer said, “We cannot confirm this right now. We are looking at different options. The RTA is presently studying the phase 2 and 3 of the project. We would be announcing the decision soon,” he said.

When launched last year, the road toll system had attracted a lot of opposition with people also posting their views on different blog sites. According to them, the system would serve no purpose but only burden them further.

Earlier, Maitha bin Adai, the CEO of the Traffic and Roads Agency had announced that the RTA did not have any intention to introduce Salik at the moment.

Yesterday’s announcement follows speculation that the toll system would be introduced on the Emirates Road and at Business Bay. Source

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'Salik brought down traffic congestion by 20pc'

Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), has said the traffic congestions in Dubai have come down by 20 per cent after the introduction of Salik, the road toll system.

He was speaking at a ceremony held to honour the team of workers overseeing the Toll Gate System on Tuesday.

Al Tayer praised the efforts of the team which worked day and night to deliver the project on time.

“Salik is one of the pioneer projects in the region as well as the world, as testified by world-class experts specialised in traffic systems. The project succeeded in achieving the targets in terms of reducing traffic congestion on Shaikh Zayed Road and Al Garhoud Bridge by 20 per cent and on some days by 50 per cent. Many passengers are now using alternative roads and public transport modes. The number of Salik tags sold in the first two months of launching the system was over 700,000.

“Salik is the first-ever toll project in the world to use SMS to keep subscribers informed of their subscription status and balances. Text messages are sent at intervals on mobile phones alerting subscribers that their balances are approaching zero. An SMS is also being sent once an offence is committed.”

Al Tayer added that the toll gates constructed were the widest in the world, as they spanned over seven lanes. They were fitted with sensors which automatically deducted the specified tariff when a vehicle crosses the e-gate.

He pointed out that many countries in the region and some advanced countries sent teams to Dubai to review the experiment of the RTA in introducing the toll gate system, and all of them hailed the system and technologies used.

“Before implementing this project, the RTA had conducted a comprehensive traffic and economic survey of the locations in which the toll gates would be installed and the applicable tariff rate. The RTA had also sought expertise of renowned companies in this field,” said Al Tayer.

He stated that the underlying reason for installing the toll gates was not the financial gains, which were quite negligible compared to the huge funds allocated by the RTA to roads projects — estimated to be in the tune of Dh45 billion up to 2020, of which Dh8 billion worth of road projects were currently under way.

He said as per the instructions of Shaikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, the RTA donated the six weeks’ proceeds of Salik to “Dubai Cares” campaign.

Besides, a large number of government entities and individuals had been exempted from Salik like vehicles of armed forces, police and civil defence, which carry their respective logos, as well as vehicles dedicated for transportation of students of schools, institutes and universities, and public transport buses of the RTA.

The RTA had also decided to exclude vehicles belonging to establishments and clubs engaged in serving individuals with special needs from Salik charges. Source

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Salik violations by motorists waived

Some Salik users can heave a sigh of relief now. In a landmark move, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has announced that all Salik toll violations by subscribed or unsubscribed cars and heavy vehicles until October 31 have been waived. However, fines for November and December will remain.

The RTA has also revoked all fines during the same period on subscribed and unsubscribed motorcycle users and fines will be levied on violations from January 1.
This follows a total review by RTA of all Salik toll violations during the year. Motor vehicle users also do not have to settle their Salik fines for completing their vehicle registration.
Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA, said the department has conducted an in-depth review of all Salik-related fines as a sign of goodwill to motorists.

RTA will now allow motorists to verify their fines and settle them, thus avoiding any delay in registration caused due to Salik fines.
“RTA has an updated and integrated system to monitor the fines before issuing them to Salik subscribers,” he said. “A special system for complaints has also been introduced by RTA. Motorists can now check the validity of their fines by visiting the licence registration centres of RTA in Al Barsha, Al Ghusais and Deira. These procedures reflect the transparency of RTA in dealing with the public,” he added.

Al Tayer said that RTA is using state-of-the-art technologies in issuing Salik fines, and the authority will provide motorists two working days before imposing a fine. This will give motorists more time to recharge their accounts or subscribe to Salik, as the case may be.
Salik, the road toll system, was launched in Dubai on July 1 this year. Two toll gates, one at the Garhoud Bridge and the other near the fourth interchange on the Shaikh Zayed Road were set up. An amount of Dh4 is automatically deducted from the Salik account on crossing the Salik gates.

The RTA has stated that there would be two kinds of fines. The first one was for motorists who do not stick tags to the wind shield.
The fine will be Dh100 for the first day, Dh200 for the second day and Dh400 for the third day. Any additional fine will not exceed Dh400 limit. The second was for motorists who already having a tag but have run out of credit.

They will be fined Dh50 for each entry. But they can escape the fine if they recharge within two days and the Dh50 will be automatically transferred into the credit.

The RTA had later clarified that there would be no fines until the motorists received the SMS alert with regard to their Salik balance being over.

The officials reminded that the motorists who do not wish to use the toll roads can use the Business Bay crossing, the Maktoum Bridge, the Shindagha Tunnel, the Dubai Crossing Road, the Emirates Road and the Floating Bridge.
Motorists have hailed the decision.

“This is a landmark step by the RTA. Though it is six months since the launch of Salik, there are still confusions. Still we don’t get SMS alerts whenever our balance is low or over. Earlier, the RTA had stated that motorists would be getting upto three SMS alerts so that they are aware that their balance is low or over. Now that they are developing a system that will monitor the fines, we hope that confusions will ease off. This is a welcome step,” said Qaider Hashmi. Source

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Salik to be rolled out across Dubai

The Salik road toll system is to be expanded to all major roads and bridges in Dubai in a major push to get people to use public transport, Emirates Business 247 has learned.
Electronic gates will be installed on Emirates Road, Al Khail Road and Al Ittihad Road by 2009. Salik will also be introduced at Shindagha Tunnel, Business Bay Crossing and Maktoum bridge in the same year.

By 2010, tollgates will be installed on the new crossings planned for the Creek, plus the yet-to-be-built Shindagha bridge and the fifth bridge.
In total, the plan will see a total of 10 tollgates by 2010, including the existing gates over Sheikh Zayed Road and Garhoud bridge that became operational this year.
“The move is designed to create a seamless flow of traffic and to encourage people to use public transport means,” said a senior RTA official, speaking on condition of anonymity.
However, he could not reveal the precise locations of the new Salik gates, saying it is still under study. He said the study would also recommend pricing for each toll, which would be based on traffic demands on particular routes. Currently, there is a flat Dh4 fee for passing under a toll – with revenues expected to reach Dh600 million during the first year.

The decision to install extra gates was based on the success of the current tollgates in alleviating traffic congestion and also on the similar traffic management systems in other major cities around the world, he said.

New tollgates are likely to affect motorists who drive between Dubai and Sharjah, since all the gateways between the two emirates will be toll-controlled. However, residents in both emirates are already concerned the new tollgates, in the absence of a comprehensive public transport network, would dig deeply into their incomes.

Nigel Harvey, Chairman of the South African Business Council, welcomed the expansion plan as a better way to ease traffic but warned it might add to the skyrocketing costs of living.
“More tollgates are welcome for as long as they will help to ease the current traffic woes. However, since some are still complaining about the current tollgates, adding more will aggravate their financial problems,” said Harvey.

Real estate broker Rizwan Ahmed, 34, whose work involves driving to meet clients, said he could not imagine how he will afford the extra cost for almost every route he travels in Dubai. Yasir Hawas, director of the Roadway, Transportation and Traffic Safety Research Centre at UAE University, said tollgates are the best way to manage traffic but urged authorities to first put in place a comprehensive public transport network.

“International research is in favour of tollgates as the best way to deal with traffic problems but they can only work effectively with an existing full public transport setup,” said Hawas.
RTA is spending up to Dh80 billion by 2020 to improve public transport and the road infrastructure in Dubai. Each year, the UAE loses Dh4bn due to traffic jams and an additional Dh400m from accidents.

Martin George, Chief Executive of Media Point in Dubai, said he would not mind paying at new salik gates – as long as there was a guaranteed free flow of traffic. “Every meeting missed due to traffic delays means loss of money. I would not hesitate to use any method of beating the traffic jam to make business for my company,” he said.

He said more gates would impact low-income earners if no proper transport infrastructure was in place. Adam Kechil, a certified road safety consultant in Dubai, said more tollgates was the best way to cut unnecessary trips because it makes it expensive to drive and thus leaving the roads for those who find it necessary to drive.

T0LL FACTS
10 - The total number of Salik toll gates to be installed around Dubai by 2010
Dh600 - The estimated annual income in millions from the current two gates
Dh80 - The amount in billions the RTA will spend by 2020 on public transport. Source

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Online Salik Recharge

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) today is scheduled to launch an online recharge facility for Salik, the recently implements automated toll system. Customers can log on to the Salik website (http://salik.ae) to add credit to their accounts from the convenience of their home or office.
The online recharge service will enable Salik users to add more credit to their Salik account through three payment options: credit card, e-dirham or direct debt from the user’s bank account. The minimum recharge amount is AED50. “The online recharge service, without any additional fees involved, reiterates RTA’s commitment to provide Salik users with quality service that meet their requirements,” said Maitha Bin Adai, CEO of RTA.
“RTA is keen to provide the new online service in order to offer the public a diversity of options that will add to their convenience in using Salik. The service also reflects the modern demands of the society, whereby people prefer to conduct their transactions quickly and online.”

Motorists, who do not want to use the toll roads, can use the Dubai Crossing Road, which links Sharjah with Abu Dhabi. Salim Al-Sahir, director of online services at Dubai eGovernmnet, said the role of his organization in supporting RTA by facilitating the payment procedures of Salik has helped immensely in the success of the system, and has helped manage the traffic flow in Dubai.
This reflects the keen emphasis of the government to offer value-added services online.
Salik subscribers can now check their balance online and view the number of crossings through the tollgates located at Garhoud Bridge and Sheikh Zayed Road near the Mall of Emirates.
They can also amend their personal data and print out financial statements. Motorists can now check their accounts also through the new IVR service offered by the call center by calling 800-Salik (72545) and following the voice instructions.
RTA has installed signboards to guide motorists to the toll gates located at Garhoud Bridge and Sheikh Zayed Road (Al Barsha Gate) near the Mall of Emirates, and also installed wayside signboards on the way-ins to Dubai to guide motorists to the toll areas apart from installing new signboards situated before petrol stations to guide motorists on Salik point of sales. Source

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Government goes mobile

Dubai residents could soon be able to make Salik topup payments using their mobile phones, Dubai e-Government and Etisalat revealed yesterday.
"We are coming up with a mobile payment system enabling you to pay for government services from your mobile and we are already in discussions with the RTA (Road Transport Authority) regarding [mobile phone payments] for Salik," says Ahmed Abdulkarim Julfar, Etisalat COO.

The partners signed a memorandum of strategic partnership (MOSP) at GITEX and will work to deliver a range of ICT solutions to government units in the UAE and across the region. Dubai e-Government eServices director, Salem Al Shair, says a number of initiatives in addition to mobile payment (mPayment) are already in the pipeline. One of the existing services that will be integrated into the joint venture is Etisalat's eZeePay system, which will be extended to cover government department payments, allowing the public to transact with the government through any bank with an eZeePay facility.
Dubai e-Government estimates that the saving accrued by making an e-transaction is AED 35 ($9.50) per transaction, based on the cost of fuel and travel. Source

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RTA develops Salik web services and IVR system

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has launched a new group of integrated services on Salik website www.salik.ae which offers motorists a chance to get detailed information on their Salik account. The Authority has also enhanced the performance of the call center through launching the new Interactive Voice Response (IVR) services. The new web services enable motorists to check their balance accounts and view the number of crossings through the toll gates located at Garhoud Bridge and Sheikh Zayed Road near Mall of the Emirates. These services will also allow subscribers to amend their personal data and print out financial statements. Motorists are now able to check their accounts through the new IVR service offered by the call center by calling Salik 800- 72545 and following the voice instructions. "The RTA is keen to offer Salik subscribers the most practical and integrated services," Eng. Salah Mohd Al Marzouqi, Director of Intelligent Traffic Systems Manager, said. "The RTA is also negotiating with several financial institutions to add the recharging service on Salik's website," he added. "When cars pass the area located between the toll gates (Al Garhoud and Al Barsha) motorists will not be charged. The toll fees will be deducted only when the cars pass under toll gates," Al Marzouqi said. "Motorists who don't want to use the toll roads can use Dubai Crossing Road, which links Sharjah with Abu Dhabi, the Emirates Road that has been expanded from 3 to 6 lanes, and the floating bridge, which links the end of Al Ittihad street near City Centre to Al Riyadh Street in Bur Dubai.The floating bridge is decreasing the traffic on Al Maktoum Bridge considerably as it can take up to 6000 vehicles during rush hour," Salah Al Marzouqi added. The RTA has installed signboards to guide motorists to the toll gates located at Garhoud Bridge and Sheikh Zayed Road (Al Barsha Gate) near Mall of the Emirates, and also installed wayside signboards on the way- ins to Dubai to guide motorists to the toll areas, in addition to the current installment of another signboards that lay before the petrol stations which guide motorists on Salik point of sales. Source

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Drivers complain of faults in Salik system

Dubai’s Salik road toll has come in for yet more criticism, with motorists complaining of problems with the scheme’s SMS service, website and customer support hotline.In the last few days local newspapers and websites have been inundated with comments highlighting glitches in the system used by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).Some drivers say they have received text messages warning them to top up their Salik accounts even thought they have plenty of credit remaining, while others have had their balances topped up even though they have not added any credit to their account.
Motorists who have then tried to check their balance on the Salik website have found the site does not work.Those who have tried calling the Salik hotline have complained that they cannot get through to speak to anyone.“I have used the Salik about seven or eight times so far. I recharged my account with AED200 on Wednesday and I received a message stating that my balance is AED300. I was quite surprised by this and was trying to contact Salik. But as usual, no luck,” read one comment on a local newspaper’s website.The scheme, which was intended to ease traffic congestion along Dubai’s busy Sheikh Zayed Road, has also come under criticism for making the city’s traffic problem’s worse.In a poll conducted by ArabianBusiness.com, almost half of all voters claimed the road toll system had made traffic congestion worse, with only 25% saying it had improved traffic flow and the rest saying it had made no difference.The scheme, which has toll gates on Garhoud Bridge and on Sheikh Zayed Road next o Mall of the Emirates, has been blamed for increasing congestion on the city’s other bridges and on roads in Al Barsha and Jumeirah as motorists try to avoid paying the AED4 toll. Source

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Why Dubai needs more road tolls

Judging from the comments on ArabianBusiness.com, it is clear that most people do not object to road tolls. What they object to is the way the 'Salik' project was implemented.There should be a toll for using all congested roads in Dubai, and the most efficient way to achieve this is to create a perimeter bound ‘congestion zone’ that everybody must pay to enter. The zone might stretch from all points along the Sharjah/Dubai border to the North; Al Barsha and the Burj Al Arab to the South; and all points West of Sheikh Zayed Highway that feed into the road such as Rashidiya and Oud Metha Road past Al Wasl Hospital or Doha Street up to Defence Roundabout. The zone should stretch to the coast from North to South.

There should be a single charge per day for entering the congestion zone. The RTA is currently budgeting for regular Sheikh Zayed Road users to spend AED16 per day. Let’s round that down to AED15 per day, which I think is a reasonable price for all motorists to enter this expanded congestion zone.The congestion zone is a device that is used to ease traffic at the busiest times of day, and should therefore not be in operation 24 hours per day, seven days per week. It should operate from 6am-9pm Sunday-Thursday.If people get into the zone before 6am, they should not be charged for that day unless they leave and re-enter. People that can prove they live inside the congestion zone should be eligible for a substantial discount. If they were charged to use the zone every weekday of the year, it would cost AED3900. An 80% discount to AED780 per year would be reasonable.Even with this fairer and more logical Salik system, the Dubai Road Transport Authority would still be open to the criticism that it is penalising motorists without offering any alternative public transport options.However, this is not true. The RTA will spend over $9.5 billion (AED35 billion) on public transport by 2020. The plan includes the construction of 318km of metro lines, 270km of tramlines and the addition of 3,000 buses to the existing fleet.Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) also plans to spend $12 billion on upgrading the emirate’s road network by 2020 including building 500km of new roads, 95 interchanges, nine ring roads and more lanes crossing the creek in an effort to tackle Dubai’s escalating traffic problems.The RTA has to raise revenue somehow to pay for this expansion and, in a country without income tax or corporation tax, it is not unreasonable for people to pay forms of direct taxation such as road tolls.The RTA cannot hope to recoup the investment of over $20 billion that is being spent on roads, bridges and public transport over the next 13 years. But it deserves the right to raise revenue at reasonable rates.A proportion of all fares on public transport, including taxis, water taxis, buses, trains and trams should go to the RTA, and so should road toll revenue. Controversially, the RTA might also be allowed to levy a duty on fuel, which would make driving more expensive and should contribute to driving gas-guzzling, high-polluting cars off the roads.The argument will run for the next decade over whether the RTA has the right to raise revenue before it delivers services but, as I pointed out earlier, this is not the case. Nobody has been charged until now for the massive expansion in the road network, so it is only reasonable that charging begins now. If the congestion zone is created in a way that everybody pays to enter it, the area should experience far fewer traffic jams, so public transport like buses would be able to run more efficiently. The result would be the start of a joined up traffic policy that people could actually see working. It wouldn’t stop them complaining about fees and changes imposed on the way they like to get around town, but the RTA would have a much more robust defence for its plans. Source

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Roads body denies climbdown on toll

The Dubai roads authority will not consider an evening waiver of its controversial ‘Salik’ toll charge, despite claims to the contrary by other government agencies. The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) is “considering waiving the toll between 10pm and 6am”, according to a statement issued by Dubai government’s Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing (DTCM).Another statement on the website of the UAE state-linked news agency, WAM, confirms that this applies to the ‘road toll’.

The admission was made in a meeting between the DTCM and the roads authority, at which RTA boss Mohammed Obaid Al Mulla was present, according to both statements.However, a spokesperson for the RTA categorically denied a move to waive the AED4 toll charge during off-peak periods.‘This is not true – the whole system is 24 hours,’ the spokesperson told ArabianBusiness.com. ‘We are 100 per cent sure of it.’However, a source at the DTCM said that an evening waiver was indeed under discussion. ‘It’s there in the minutes of the meeting. Could they have been talking about another charge? No, there’s no other toll in the city except this one.’Such a climbdown on the road toll would be embarrassing for the RTA, which has insisted that the toll – charged to motorists passing through two gates in the city – will remain in force as initially planned: 24 hours a day, seven days a week.ArabianBusiness.com has received dozens of comments from readers regarding the scheme. Some have questioned why Salik – which is designed to reduce jams – is also applicable at night and at weekends, when the roads are generally much less congested.“Why is it that one has to pay when it's off peak time or when its a holiday? This is a total contradiction,” wrote one. Source

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No fine for being out of credit

Motorists will not be fined if they are out of credit until they receive an SMS alert, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said on Monday.
Maitha Obaid Bin Udai, Chief Executive of the Traffic and Roads Agency, said motorists can recharge their tags after they receive the SMS alert. Motorists can recharge their tags at any petrol station or Emirates Bank. The RTA said 400,000 tags were distributed as of yesterday to Adnoc, Eppco/Enoc and Emarat petrol stations and Dubai Islamic and Emirates Banks. Maitha said motorists bought more than 200,000 tags during the three days prior to the launch of Salik. "This rush caused a delay in the confirmation SMS with the subscriber's account number and pin. Even if motorists did not receive an SMS, the tag is automatically activated and operational," Maitha said.

The RTA also reminded motorists tags cannot be pasted on tinted windshields. Source

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Salik call centre to work overtime

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has increased the performance of its Salik call centre to handle round-the-clock queries about the road toll system, which launches today.Salah Mohammed Al Marzouqui, the RTA’s deputy director of traffic said the call centre was receiving calls 24 hours a day, and providing information in Arabic, English and Urdu, as part of a communications drive to spread awareness of the toll system."The RTA wants to reach out to the largest possible number of road users in our community," Al Marzouqi said. "Our call centre operators are trained to provide complete information about the toll system, from the locations of the electronic gates to the mechanics of the system and (registration/application) information."

Motorists passing toll gates at Garhoud Bridge and Mall of the Emirates on Sheikh Zayed Road must apply for and purchase a Salik welcome kit containing a windshield tag. Kits are available from Epco/Enoc and Emarat petrol stations, and Dubai Islamic and Emirates banks. The kit costs Dh100, with Dh50 charged as fees and the remainder to be counted as credit.Tags are automatically activated. After subscription motorists will receive an account number and PIN by SMS. Source

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Two-wheelers not exempt from Salik

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has stated that motor-cycles are not exempt from the toll fees. Riders should paste the tags on the motor-cycle?s front windshield, if there is one. If not, riders should subscribe in the same way as motorists and cameras at the toll gates will scan the bike?s registration number and deduct the fees accordingly.The authority has also advised motorists to go through the details attached with Salik welcome kit and read the instructions to install the tag on the car windshield. For further assistance, check out web site www.salik.ae or call 800-72545. The English language daily 'Khaleej Times' quoted Salah Mohammad Al Marzouqi, Deputy Director of Traffic Department Intelligent Traffic Systems and Manager Traffic Department Roads and Transport Authority, as saying: ?Motorists who use Shaikh Zayed Road where the toll gates are located, at Garhoud Bridge and near the Mall of the Emirates must apply for and buy the Salik welcome kit containing the Salik windshield tag from petrol stations (Eppco, Enoc, Emarat) and branches of Dubai Islamic Bank and Emirates Bank. The welcome kit costs Dh100, of which Dh50 is charged as fee to open the account and the rest counted as credit. Motorists have been reminded that after subscription they will receive an SMS which states the account number and pin. The tag will be automatically activated even if the SMS is not immediately received. Source

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Rental firms bear brunt of Salik

Car rental firms will bear the cost of the Salik road toll, according to the Dubai Car Rental Group, which represents 85% of the sector in the UAE.Gulf News reports that companies will be able to monitor the number of times customers pass through toll gates from the Salik web site. The newspaper spoke to a number of rental companies.
Rajesh Arora, manager at Thrifty Car Rental said the firm would buy Salik tags for short term customers, although companies leasing cars would have the choice to purchase them or not.“If we do provide the tags then customers will be charged an administrative fee, which would be a marginal one to cover the administrative costs” he said.A manager from a second firm said “how are we expected to give our customers all the road tags? We have to contact customers and inform them that we have to put the tags on their car. It is a logistics nightmare. I am praying that Salik will go away because we cannot absorb the costs.”Sunil Kumar from Hertz said customers would receive text messages to tell them they would be provided with tags. “About Dh65,000 has been spent on purchasing the Salik tags” he said. Kumar said short-term vehicles would be charged for the number of times they pass through gates, however long-term lease vehicles would be charged an extra 10%, amounting to Dh4.40 for each entry. Source

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