The Magazine of Dubai Women's College Volume 16 Issue 2, May ...

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The project is also an environment friendly alternative to cars and busses and will help reduce pollution in the city. In response to several studies on eco-friendly modes of transportation, done inside and outside the country, the Roads and Transport Authority in Dubai (RTA) has a 30-billion dirham strategic plan to deal with the current situation and the future challenges. With a track network of 318 km by 2020 that would carry 200,000 commuters per hour, the Dubai Metro project has been launched. According to RTA, Dubai Metro provides an alternative mode of transport that will ease traffic congestion, reduce traffic-borne pollution and improve air quality; thereby creating a better environment for the city’s residents and visitors. The metro will not only enhance mobility within the city, it will also reduce dependency on cars and as a result the total health care costs attributed to air pollution will decrease approximately by one million dirham per year. Studies for developing the metro system started back in 1997. The study was completed during 1997-2000; it has concluded that Dubai could not rely solely on its current roads transport systems to meet future traffic demands. The study suggested that there was a definite need for a transit system to ease congestion and adoption of practical transport policies that would focus on traffic regulation and protection of the environment. “It is anticipated that by 2017 nearly 1.2 million people will use the trains daily, with 17,000 passengers at peak hours and 355 million people a year. With a carrying capacity of up to 50,000 passengers per hour, the mass transit system will be able to meet public demand until well beyond 2020,” Huddersfield’s study anticipates. Metro Construction Abdureedha Abu Al Hassan, the Director of Planning and Design Department, Rail Agency – RTA, says, Dubai Metro consists of two lines (first and second stage), and will be followed with extra future lines (purple, blue etc.). The Red Line will be in operation by September 9, 2009, whereas the Green Line will be functioning on March 10, 2010. The Purple Line is expected to be ready by 2012 and the Blue Line is expected to operate before 2015. Abdureedha says. Environmental Concerns During construction, Dubai government has formed a set of laws to support the environment, using purification methods in order to have unpolluted surroundings. Abdulmajid Al-Khaja, the CEO of Rail Agency, RTA, says, “The necessary precautions are taken to protect the environment during construction and the Health, Quality, Safety and Environment Department (HQSE) closely monitors the effect of these activities on the environment on short and long term basis.” Equipment failing to meet the sound limits is only allowed to function throughout late morning hours and not at night. “The contractor has been asked to take precautions to protect the surrounding environment. This not only ends at the construction sites, but also while manufacturing and delivering the rolling stock and during operations,” he adds. The quality Safety Environment and Health Department of the rail agency has established air sanitization systems and monitors to calculate the gas levels. Manufacture and construction waste will be taken and positioned in containers, which will be emptied frequently. “The Dubai Metro is one of UAE’s most prestigious projects which will further enhance the Emirate’s image,” says Abdermajid. Underground station. Road cross over bridge from a station. Provided by: RTA Provided by: RTA
04 > FEATURE “An eco-friendly metro will be a solution to several problems because one lane of metro equals up to 60 road lanes,” states University of Huddersfield’s DUBAI METRO: Eco Friendly Solution TEXT > Shahd Khaled, Ayesha AlMuhairy, Jawaher Bufaroosha & Mashael Hashim More than a million vehicles are on Dubai’s roads, making an average of 3.1 million trips each day. The annual growth rate of vehicles in Dubai is 12% and the growth pattern is likely to continue and the number of trips is expected to go up to a staggering 13.1 million trips per day. Exterior Design of the metro. study. “Dubai is now an example for traffic congestion due to increasing numbers of cars. Recent statistics assert that there are 465,000 vehicles registered in the emirate, in addition to 5,000 taxi cars. There is a significant number of residents of neighboring emirates who are working in the city”, reveals a study on sustainable transportation in the UAE by Maha Al-Zubaidi and Khalid Sabie from the University of Huddersfield in the UK. Vehicles are to blame for 80% of pollution, emissions of harmful gases pose health and environmental hazards. Car emissions need to be reduced to a degree that guarantees unpolluted air and a hygienic environment, the study stresses. Huddersfield’s study also suggests that “an eco-friendly metro will be a solution to several problems because one lane of metro equals up to 60 road lanes.” The benefits of the project would include reducing the number of cars on Dubai’s roads, facilitating traffic and increasing road safety. Provided by: RTA
Page 1 and 2: DESERT DAWN The Magazine of Dubai W
Page 3 and 4: EDITOR’S NOTE While the country h
Page 5: 02 > NEWS & VIEWS H.H Shiekh Mohamm
Page 9 and 10: 06 > FEATURE COLLECTIVE Green Effor
Page 11 and 12: 08 > OPINION THE UGLY TRUTH Text: A
Page 13 and 14: 10 > FEATURE “Our students attend
Page 15 and 16: 12 > FEATURE AIR POLLUTION Victims
Page 17 and 18: 14 > FEATURE Richard Newell, a facu
Page 19 and 20: 16 > GALLERY PAGE ENVIRONMENTAL IMP
Page 21 and 22: 18 > OPINION TOWARDS Reducing Air P
Page 23 and 24: 20 > FEATURE “The increase in pop
Page 25 and 26: 22 > FEATURE WORKING with the media
Page 27 and 28: 24 > FEATURE Photo by Shaikha Bukha
Page 29 and 30: The RTA plans to activate the ‘Wa
Page 31 and 32: 28 > ARABIC ةيئيب قئاقح
Page 33 and 34: 30 > DESIGNING DESERT DAWN Desert D

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