Source: www.emirates247.com
Increase in number of vehicles each year cited as reason
Certain professions in Dubai may not be allowed to own a car, according to recommendations made by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) as part of its strategic transport plan.
A report in Emarat Al Youm quotes Abdul Mohsen Ibrahim Younis, Executive Director of Strategy and Corporate Governance at the RTA as saying that there is a proposal to reduce of ownership of vehicles for certain professions and to stop the registration of old models of cars.
“This comes especially against a significant increase in the number of vehicles which are being registered every year,” he adds.
Speaking to the Arabic daily on the sidelines of the 59th Session of the International Conference of the World Federation of Transport, Younis said there is a direct correlation between the growth of the number of Dubai’s population of 1.9 million and the number of registered vehicles in the emirate.
“Such increase has led to increasing traffic jams and accidents, which for the year 2006 was about 24 serious cases per 100,000 of the population,” he said.
Younis adds: “The data shows an increase in demand for vehicles in the coming years, which necessitates an assessment in order to achieve balance between supply and demand.”
“The transport strategy includes expansion of roads and development of public transport and allocation of lanes for motorbikes and cyclists and pedestrian crossings, and the development of shipping lines and transport in Dubai,” he said.
The RTA official did not specify which professions might be affected.
