36% will use Dubai public transport by 2020
A major initiative to cut vehicle use in Dubai has been devised by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) as part of its strategic plan for 2020.
Dubai is expected to have 5.3 million registered vehicles by that date if the current annual rate of a 17 per cent increase in the number of vehicles continues, which would add to the problem of traffic congestion in the city.
Currently, just over one in two people own a car in the city, and only six per cent of people use public transport.
The RTA aims to increase this figure by 30 per cent with the start of the Dubai Metro and an increase in public buses and marine transport, through its Mobility Management Plan (MMP).
The number of registered vehicles in Dubai has already touched 853,827 in 2007 compared to 739,547 - an increase of more than 114,000 vehicles.
MMP aims include reduced car use, reduced traffic congestion, reduced pollution and greenhouse gas emissions, plus improved public health and safety.
