Dubai RTA: Paving the future

Dubai RTA: Paving the future


Dubai’s Road & Transport Authority (RTA) has, over the last few weeks, come up with various ideas that they are going to implement over the coming months. Some of these ideas seem to be confidential in nature, but Gulf News somehow always gets their hands on official sources.

  • The RTA is planning to implement a law that bans cars older than 20 years. By 2010, cars older than 15 years will be banned. It is some contrived attempt to reduce emissions, which no other country has ever implemented, to our knowledge. So by 2010, the rich will cruise in their expensive cars, the middle-class will be relegated to recent-model econoboxes, and the poor will use overcrowded public transport. Classics will only belong to those with wastaa.
  • The RTA has just launched hybrid taxis in Dubai to save the environment or something. The vehicles are “fuel-efficient” Chevy Tahoes and Malibus. Keep in mind that, in terms of US governmental tests, a Tahoe Hybrid consumes 11.7 litres of petrol per 100 km, while a normal Camry is rated at 9 litres per 100 km.
  • In a bid to reduce traffic, the RTA plans to add two more toll gates (at Maktoum Bridge and Safa Park), due to their self-proclaimed success in reducing traffic at the existing gates. And that is only “phase two” of the plan.
  • A whole bunch of semi-rich people bought property in “New Dubai,” thinking they’ll get awesome villas in a quiet residential neighbourhood. The RTA now plans to build an eight-lane highway right through their community.
  • The RTA now plans to give probationary licences to new drivers, renewable every year for 3 years, instead of the 10-year licences that everyone over 21 currently gets. Interesting idea, except that it hasn’t had an effect on those under 21 who already come under the existing system.
  • The #1 video game of the year, GTA4, has been banned in the UAE. It has nothing to do with the RTA, but I thought I’d throw it in there while I’m ranting.

If I make my real opinions known, I’ll be deported.

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Comments

  1. how old was ur supra? i can see the current owner cursing u n RTA 😀

  2. I believe that Supra is a 1987.

  3. hey guys i heard 1 more news….once the rule of 15yrs is implemented u cannot transfer the car to another person after 10yrs…so remaining 5 yrs u have to use it and throw it as scrap…..so if u want to sell, then sell it before the 10th bday of ur car….its not just RTA rule….its gonna be unified law allover the uae….moreover they would stop the grey market import of cars which are older than 5yrs….

  4. Author

    That’s just seriously disturbing. It sounds unimaginably stupid to be true. Let’s hope it is wrong.

  5. yeah even i hope its a wrong news….but my friend was tellin me he heard this news from a person from abu dhabi muroor….anyways we already seein lots of new rules in different govt departments in uae which doesnt happen in any other part of this world…so we can expect the worst….

  6. You should have a mirror-site ready in the event of site shutdown and over-night stealth deportation.

    I think four months back, RTA promised no more toll gates for a few years.

  7. thats great news! I agree that old cars should be banned. These ‘Sharjah Specials’ have no place on the road. If you cant afford a new car, or cant afford to maintain your second hand car, then unlucky, you must find another method of travel. Old cars are dangerous.

    Also, new drivers should not be allowed to drive cars above 1.6 for 3 years.

    Salik should charge at a weekly rate, not daily, and be free on Fridays. 24AED a week per gate. That will stop single use drivers using SZ road.
    Salik should also work out your average speed between the gates, and fine you automatically if a) you exceed the speed limit +10% (SZR = 110km/h), or b) if you exceed the average speed of all the other drivers by 20%. Those who do are driving dangerously and weaving in and out of traffic will be the targets.

    Fines for bad drivers should double each time they commit an offense starting at AED 125. If you commit 12 offenses, your 12th fine would be AED 256000.
    Driving bans should work the same way. After 4th offense, its a 1 week ban, 5th offense is 2 weeks, 6th offense is 4 weeks, 7th offense is 8 weeks etc. 12th offense is equal to 256 weeks
    or 5 years. This will eliminate bad drivers off the roads as they commit more offense, both financially and time wise.
    Offense statistics are reduced be 4 every year.

  8. Author

    Actually, if old cars are banned, your new car will be worth 20 fils when you try to sell it, because everyone knows it will be scrap metal in a few years and has no future.

  9. justin i’m assuming you haven’t been in the UAE long enough. such fines and bans are never/rarely applicable to the dangerous drivers 😉

  10. Justin, if you are a bad driver how will a 1.6 car improve you???

  11. man….before two days i reached a speed of 190 in our 1.6 liter sunny…so the rule about the new drivers shouldnt drive more than 1.6L car doesnt work.

  12. hey justin i think u r a mumy dady driver n u r scared off fast drivin
    ur thinkin abt fines r just like heeheheheh 😛 😆 :mrgreen:

  13. If Government stop’s importing of oldcars…it can start exporting of old vehicles (10yrs and above). If RTA has made this rule then RTA should have an agency that sells the so called expired cars to thrid world countries…they will happy to buy the stuff from UAE…instead of few fills atleast we can get few dirhams…If what MAS says is true about hybrids then its better to use Yaris or Honda City for less fuel consumption…the city runs about 450km on full tank petrol…

  14. The last five years of not being able to change registration is absurd! 👿 Might as well say ban cars more than 10 years old.. 😛

  15. hi,
    Mashfique can you please tell me whats this thing about importing a car acoording to GCC-spec by law???

  16. Author

    It is just a piece of paper from the Ministry of something that certifies any car as GCC-spec, as long as it passes RTA testing. It costs Dhs 310, but I don’t remember which ministry. A company called Midland Cars did the paperwork for me. Look them up.

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