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On the occasion of renewing my driving license today (gosh has it been ten years already) and the announcement of metro charges in the local papers, I thought that I would share a little tidbit of information for those curious and inquisitive minds amongst us. Did you ever wonder what happened to all of those non-UAE license plates (e.g. mainly from Oman and Saudi) that appear on Dubai’s streets?! What happens to the fines that they incur and do they have to have Salik (the tag that electronically charges your account once you cross the toll gates within Dubai)?!?!
Well, this was a major concern for a friend of mine when he first moved to Dubai. He is a Saudi citizen and as he was working in Dubai, decided to ship his car from Saudi to here and never bothered to get Dubai license plates for his car. Well, as many of us do, at least I speak for myself, is not pay for my parking and speeding tickets except when I have too (i.e. at the annual renewal of car registration). The thinking is; why pay for something until you absolutely have too and besides, maybe one of the royals will issue a pardon for speeding tickets during Ramadan or Eid or National Day so that we get an exemption or reduction in fees. Usually my annual fee is around 1000-2000, but lately it has been getting lower and lower :-).
Anyway, so this friend of mine was worried as he did not have to register his car and kept on accumulating fines and more fines. He was afraid that he might end up with a bill in the hundred of thousand Dirhams once they finally caught up with him. So, he made it his mission to find out!
It turns out that there is an agreement between the GCC countries to pre-pay for the cars registered in their countries, then pass the charges to the actual owners. The responsibility for this tracking falls upon the individual countries. Apparently, Dubai does that and ensures that the owner pays for all of his car fines when he renews. Meanwhile, Saudi Arabia does not have this system so they just pay for all of the fines for Saudi cars and keeps the fines in boxes without processing them further.
Thus, one of the cost-cutting methods for the cost of living (in addition to the flexibility of parking) is to get a Saudi license-plate car and have it in Dubai. It will save you a lot of headache and money. For Salik, I assume that it operates the same way, but I will have to check that to be sure.
Showing posts with label Salik. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Salik. Show all posts
Monday, June 22, 2009
Thursday, September 18, 2008
Common Sense Never Hurt Traffic
I thought that I would never see this day, but apparently, the Road & Transport Authority (RTA) has managed to pull a miracle; traffic jam at 1am. And no, it is not an unusual incident like a horrific traffic accident, but rather, the introduction of Salik Toll Road on Sheikh Zayed Road.
It started out back in July 2007 (i.e. over a year ago) when these electronic tolls were installed on Garhoud bridge and Sheikh Zayed Road by Interchange #4 which is next to Mall of the Emirates. Surprise, surprise; people avoided them by going on the parallel routes.
Well, the second phase started on September 9th (originally slated for September 1st) whereas another two tolls would be positioned; one on Al Maktoom bridge and the second on Sheikh Zayed Road between Interchange #1 (Defense Roundabout) and Interchange #2 (where the Metropolitan hotel is located). Naturally, I along many Dubai commuters decided that passing the toll late at night is not worth it and because traffic is light, we can afford the extra 5 minutes and head from Al Wasel Road.
Not surprisingly, all the commuters and regular drivers of Dubai have the same feeling, thus resulting in the traffic jam. The solution is so simple that I often wonder why the RTA does not implement it immediately. It would go a long way to prove that they are addicted to solving traffic woes in Dubai and not just earning supplemental income for the coffers of the municipality.
The tolls should be operational when they are needed; i.e. during peak traffic hours. After all, anyone who utilizes them should ensure that they really need to drive their cars during that period of time. Now, the talk shows on radio have had experts from the traffic police claim that Dubai suffers from an extended rush hour that almost lasts the whole working day. Thus, I propose that the toll is operational from 8am till 9pm every business day. That is sufficient and easily done.
After all, the toll on Al Maktoum bridge is operational between 6am till 10 pm every day (since the Floating Bridge which does not have a toll on it) is closed during that time. So, why can't it be done for Sheikh Zayed Road instead of having the traffic jam on the parallel road Al Wasel which is not a main highway, but rather made for residential traffic. Who has the common sense to implement it at the RTA? Or is that not a skill not required?!?!
It started out back in July 2007 (i.e. over a year ago) when these electronic tolls were installed on Garhoud bridge and Sheikh Zayed Road by Interchange #4 which is next to Mall of the Emirates. Surprise, surprise; people avoided them by going on the parallel routes.
Well, the second phase started on September 9th (originally slated for September 1st) whereas another two tolls would be positioned; one on Al Maktoom bridge and the second on Sheikh Zayed Road between Interchange #1 (Defense Roundabout) and Interchange #2 (where the Metropolitan hotel is located). Naturally, I along many Dubai commuters decided that passing the toll late at night is not worth it and because traffic is light, we can afford the extra 5 minutes and head from Al Wasel Road.
Not surprisingly, all the commuters and regular drivers of Dubai have the same feeling, thus resulting in the traffic jam. The solution is so simple that I often wonder why the RTA does not implement it immediately. It would go a long way to prove that they are addicted to solving traffic woes in Dubai and not just earning supplemental income for the coffers of the municipality.
The tolls should be operational when they are needed; i.e. during peak traffic hours. After all, anyone who utilizes them should ensure that they really need to drive their cars during that period of time. Now, the talk shows on radio have had experts from the traffic police claim that Dubai suffers from an extended rush hour that almost lasts the whole working day. Thus, I propose that the toll is operational from 8am till 9pm every business day. That is sufficient and easily done.
After all, the toll on Al Maktoum bridge is operational between 6am till 10 pm every day (since the Floating Bridge which does not have a toll on it) is closed during that time. So, why can't it be done for Sheikh Zayed Road instead of having the traffic jam on the parallel road Al Wasel which is not a main highway, but rather made for residential traffic. Who has the common sense to implement it at the RTA? Or is that not a skill not required?!?!
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