Dubai’s getting ready to roll out some new transport systems that could actually make a dent in traffic congestion — especially in busy spots like Downtown Dubai, DIFC, Al Quoz, and Mall of the Emirates. The idea? Get people out of their cars for those short trips that clog up the roads.
According to Dr Mustafa Aldah, a UAE-based traffic safety expert, congestion isn’t just about more people moving to Dubai. It’s also about how we get around every day. A lot of residents hop in their cars even for trips that are just a few kilometres — and when everyone does that, especially during rush hour, it puts serious strain on the roads.
Dubai announced a bunch of new transport projects at the World Governments Summit recently, including high-speed underground systems in central areas and driverless feeder networks that’ll connect metro stations to nearby spots. The goal is to make it easier to skip the car for those quick, last-mile trips.
Dr Aldah pointed out that most of the traffic in Dubai comes from people commuting to work. He estimates that business and employment-related travel makes up nearly 90 per cent of road congestion, while personal trips account for a much smaller chunk.
Here’s the thing: those short trips — two to five kilometres to the office, school, the mall, or a metro station — really add up when thousands of people are doing them at the same time. Dr Aldah explained that cities work best when there’s solid mass transit backed up by efficient feeder systems, so people don’t feel like they need to drive everywhere.
Automated and driverless transport could help too, not just by moving people but by eliminating some of the messy human driving habits — like poor lane discipline and constant lane switching — that slow everything down.
The bottom line? By focusing on last-mile connectivity and those short trips, Dubai’s new transport systems could ease congestion and make getting around a lot smoother as the city keeps growing.
