19 June, 2007

Salik as mud...

Recent changes have meant that I will probably have to cross Garhoud Bridge and through Interchange 4 at least twice each day, so I have to take Salik seriously. So I went to the website to download the registration form...

What a joke. Only download is an irrelevant set of pictures showing how to fix the tag to your windscreen.

No forms.

No maps of alternative routes.

No way to find out whether I will pay Dhs 1x4, Dhs 2x4 or Dhs 4x4 for my journey.

And worse, in today's Gulf News, the RTA spokesman repeating the assertion that Salik "will encourage car pooling", which last I heard Dubai Police still say is illegal...

Then they go on to lecture us road users like petulant children, saying we know nothing about traffic management. Maybe true. But we sure do know a great deal about the RTA's corresponding ineptitude, with world class examples of total traffic mismanagement a daily expeience on Dubai's otherwise excellent roads.

C'mon RTA, find a way to save face, and postpone the implementation of this idiotic scheme. And prove that it is genuinely intended to alter traffic flow by charging only during peak hours. Otherwise, we can only regard it as a clumsy and greedy exercise in highway robbery.

July 1st, huh? Roll on chaos...
Posted by EyeOnDubai at 1:29 pm

19 comments:

samuraisam said...

Sorry but commenting must be enabled.

19 June, 2007 14:22
EyeOnDubai said...

Hi Sam

Sorry, thought it was...

19 June, 2007 14:59
Anonymous said...

Okay, here's something people don't seem to understand about car pooling. What is illegal is for you to make a business out of transporting people from point A to B. IOW, you can't buy a car, and charge people you don't know for taking them to work and back, etc.

However, if your colleagues live around the same area and you work out an arrangement amongst each other (or your neighbors), then there is nothing illegal about it.

The problem here is that people rarely opt to car-pool the conventional way (ie. colleagues/neighbors).

And to answer your question, every time you cross a toll gate, you get charged 4dhs. So, in your case, that's a potential 16dhs/day. They made that abundantly clear. You cross the toll, you get charged. Period.

And no, I have no affiliation with Dubai Police or the RTA. I personally think the RTA is the most evil organization in the UAE. They charge you to park your car (or when you can't find parking).. and they charge you when you drive your car (when there aren't enough roads). They charge you money for services they can't offer. It is quite possibly the most absurd service I've ever hear of in my life.

But, hey.. no one seems to be able to talk them out of it (or into a sensible version of it).. you might want to consider alternative routes to work.

19 June, 2007 15:25
EyeOnDubai said...

Well said, fellow...

But on this point, I do beg to differ. Origianlly the RTA stated that you would be charged once for using the tolled section of road, irrespective of direction, ie, passing through both gates would incur a single charge of Dhs 4. This seems to have changed in the past couple of days.

And yes, the biggest puzzle of all is why they are allowed carry on regardless, despite the arrant nonsense of the scheme.

19 June, 2007 15:51
Grumpy Goat said...

I am operating under a self-imposed ban on discussing my job on the blogosphere.

Otherwise I'd have plenty to say about the RTA and its relationship with incompetence, arrogance and ineptitude.

19 June, 2007 16:59
Anonymous said...

July 1st....This day can be marked as a start of "Dubai Traffic Festival". A festival 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Call in the sponsors.

19 June, 2007 17:22
EyeOnDubai said...

Oh, Grumpy, do tell!

19 June, 2007 17:24
Anonymous said...

To add to the stupidity, SALIK is only going to increase pollution as cars are forced to take the long way round to avoid the tolls or to sit for hours in traffic jams on roads which are not built to take the volume of traffic that is about to hit them. Global warming bring it on!

19 June, 2007 17:48
Anonymous said...

Well the form is still available, well they never bothered to remove it, just the link.

http://tinyurl.com/3afnrs <- that takes you to the results of a google query , "site:salik.ae filetype:pdf".

However a friend in sandland told me that they don't accept a self-printed form. The RTA would like to have the pleasure of seeing you scribble on their form at a convenient gas station near you. :) {Any input on their reasons grumpy goat?}

And is the recent AED 300mn revenue estimate on GN based on AED 8 per return trip or the AED 16 figure ?

Either way... Salik ftw...

19 June, 2007 19:51
secretdubai said...

Anyone making seven or more toll trips per day should not bother to pay the toll. Because it will work out more than the maximum Dh10,000 annual fine.

19 June, 2007 20:20
Keef said...

Mr Al Tayer takes a very dim view of his customers, does he not? I remember about a year ago when there was all that uproar about the proposed highways through Emirates Hills, Greens, Pinks etc. He said something about how he had no intention of listening to the views of 'foreigners'. And yesterday's outburst 'the people are not traffic experts.' Well actually, some of them are. And all road users have a pretty firm grip on what the results of imbeSalik will be.

19 June, 2007 21:16
Dubai Jazz said...

24 x 365.25 = 8766

that is still less than 10000, but pretty close though!

19 June, 2007 21:52
secretdubai said...

imbeSalik

Lovely one.

19 June, 2007 23:38
Harsha said...

The maximum amount charged in a day is AED24, beyond that, passing the toll bridge on that date is free.

20 June, 2007 01:30
i*maginate said...

fellow A, what a shame you don't live here anymore! BOO-Hoo-HOO!!

20 June, 2007 06:33
Anonymous said...

Will Salik turn out to be the staw that breaks the camel's back?

21 June, 2007 00:05
Anonymous said...

i*maginate,

Ah.. I do. I actually have to cross the toll on the way to work every day.

Sadly, I can't win. I work on one end of Sheikh Zayed Road (DMC/DIC), my wife works on the other end (WTC side). So, wherever we end up, someone's gotta pay the toll :)

I quite frankly don't know what to expect. The city is full of pessimists. It could very well end up as a disaster. It could also end up as an actual 'option' for those with deeper pockets. I wouldn't mind having the option.. not that I have 'deep' pockets, but I certainly would rather pay extra for comfort and speed than have no option at all.

Odds are, it won't work, but who knows.. hoping for a miracle.

21 June, 2007 09:33
Anonymous said...

Agree with Fellow Aheist....it might be a solution in the long term. I recall the days 6-7 years ago when paid parking meters were put up in the CBD and Deira, everyone cribbed and whined about that but it has now become the norm. Today you still dont get parking even if you want to pay. Common folks if you crib & moan but still afford to pay high rents then you can pay the toll. There goes the 7% cap that you saved this year.. ; )

21 June, 2007 14:17
Anonymous said...

Use bycycles instead of cars ,however you will dehydrate from the heat.

22 June, 2007 05:30

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