RTA Metro v RTA Salik?

Dear readers,

A very important question has tickled my curiously from reading the last blog post on this blog, so I will as you a quick question:

Are you more happy with RTA's Metro today OR with RTA's Salik so far?

When thinking about the RTA's Metro, please consider the early teething problems as well as any potential in the future for it to be a success of sorts or any other factors you think are relevant :)

A simple "Metro" or "Salik" response would be great, but I doubt I'll get that! Everyone can vote, you don't need to have a car or pay your Salik or have tried the metro at all!

Thanks.

no more salik for taxis

According to Gulf News...

"Dubai: Taxi passengers in Dubai will no longer have to pay the Salik road toll, it has been announced.

The Roads and Transport Authority said the move was part of a series of initiatives aimed at improving taxi services."

more here

Avoiding SALIK

Today as I headed home I tried avoiding SALIK by taking Business Bay Bridge. As I passed under it I decided to stop in the mud nearby and take this shot. It's one of the best shots I've taken. SALIK ain't that bad to think of it now!!! ;)Anyone else got any positive SALIK-related stories to share?

New Salik Gate...

Everybody's favorite scapegoat (or pet peeve) in Dubai seems to be the RTA, as well as one of their pet projects, SALIK. The following image was received as a forward and I thought it might amuse many:

Enjoy!

Salik Sequel

Hello!

I'm writing this to judge what people think about the Sequel to the amazing movie called Salik (first released last year sometime?). We all know we have a bit transport problem in Dubai and the nearby Emirates. However I don't think more Salik gates is the answer.

To avoid this being called a tax-for-nothing, why not phase it in after the metro is running? This will give people a real choice to use Salik or another mode of transport. Why not charge people for journeys during peak times only? Honestly, if I'm driving at 2am, why should I pay when the road is salik anyway!

I've raised this before, but it seems that the RTA is very slowly moving in the right direction. Apparently you'll only be charged for using the Maktoum Bridge toll if the floating bridge is open. This makes sense. Yuppie!

Also let's hope we get more transparent charing, as well as easy access to stickers and top up services etc. All sounds very simple, but the reality is usually far from it.

I wonder, do motorcyclists have to pay? Where do they install the sticker? Surely they cause congestion too in the eyes of the RTA...

Anyway, the floor is yours people...

2 new salik gates by September

"Dubai: New Salik toll gates will be installed at Al Maktoum Bridge and between the first and second interchange on Shaikh Zayed Road, Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) announced on Tuesday.

“The two new toll gates will be activated from September 9 as part of the second phase of Salik system,” said Mattar Al Tayer, Chairman of the Board and Executive Director of the RTA."

more here

More air-conditioned bus stops, new luxury bus terminals

Commenters in recent posts noted some of the problems with road tolls and with a rail system. Both require an entensive bus system to provide alternatives to the automobile in the case of tolls, and, in the case of rail, to get you to and from home/work and the rail station.

Today's Gulf News happens to hit on this theme as well:

The ambitious air-conditioned bus shelter project has started taking shape in Dubai, but commuters say they are too small to accommodate the increasing numbers of commuters.

Each bus station is 2.5 metres wide and six metres long and has a capacity for 14 people. Eight people can sit while six can stand inside the shelter.
...
Dubai is the first city in the world to offer the luxury of air-conditioned bus shelters for passengers. The aim is to lure people into using public transport, and ease the pressure on its crowded roads.

There's more:

A total of 971 air-conditioned bus shelters will be built in the city. The new bus shelters will have an array of amenities for commuters.
...
The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) plans to have nine air-conditioned luxury bus terminals to replace the existing bus stations in Dubai, Gulf News has learnt.

The multi-storey terminals will have comfortable seating, restaurants, cafeterias and shopping areas. A parking area will also be provided. The new terminals will cater to the increasing demand for bus services.

Speculation over huge Salik expansion

ArabianBusiness.com:

A UAE Arabic newspaper reported earlier this week that the RTA is "conducting a study to put toll gates on other new roads in Dubai".

The article also states that toll gates could be placed on Maktoum Bridge, Shindagha Tunnel, Business Bay Bridge and the Floating Bridge.

It is not the first time reports of an expansion of the Salik scheme have surfaced.

In August Saudi daily Arab News reported that the RTA had started work on new toll gates at eight locations in Dubai, including Shindagha Tunnel, Maktoum Bridge, Floating Bridge, Emirates Road, Al-Khail Road, Nad Al-Hamar Road and Business Bay Bridge.

Related, I've heard that Sheik Mo took a look the blueprints for rail system stations, and rejected them. He wants them to be 5 star stations. Perhaps he's serious about the rail system being attractive to all walks of life. That might be what it takes to make it a success. Another example of thinking big being thinking right?

Sharjah taxis and Salik

The Khaleej Times reports that Sharjah taxi drivers charge passengers double for the Salik toll. Since Sharjah taxis cannot pick up riders in Dubai, I don't see the problem. It's part of the cost that comes with asking a driver to take you to Dubai and return empty.

The bigger issue is that Dubai and Sharjah do not have a trade agreement allowing taxis in one to pick up riders in another. The negative public consequences in pollution, congestion, and protected markets (therefore higher fares) are substantial. It is in the public interest to remove these barriers to trade.

Salik to expand to speed you on your way?

From Arab News

DUBAI, 28 August 2007 — The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority denied yesterday that it has started work on the second phase of the road toll tax. For the first time, Dubai introduced in July a toll tax on motorists who cross Garhoud Bridge and use Sheikh Zayed Road. Motorists who use the road have to pay the 24-hour toll when they pass the electronic tollgates. A fee of AED4 is automatically deducted from the motorist’s account.

Rumors have been rife in the emirates about additional gates to be added. A report yesterday from Fujairah said that the authority had started work on eight new gates in the city. They included all the major routes in the emirate including Shindagha Tunnel, Maktoum Bridge, Floating Bridge, Emirates Road, Al-Khail Road, Nad Al-Hamar Road and Business Bay crossing.

However, Salah Al-Marzouqi, from the RTA denied the news report saying that the authority has no plans for the second phase of the project.

Before the launch of the Garhoud toll there was a lot of complaining early in 2007 -- on this blog even! -- that the toll was merely tax, that it would only make congestion worth, and so on. Did that pan out? How many of you find it easier now to cross the Garhoud and are glad there is a toll?

Another word on Salik...

After three days of not being able to get into their website, finally this evening I have.

I clicked on 'News' to see what the reports of today's traffic chaos might be.

Stupid, I know. I'm in Dubai and I'm expecting a website to be up-to-date!

Here's the latest news from the RTA, copy & paste from their website this evening, July 1st:




NEWS

RTA selling Salik tags in petrol stations and banks in preparation for official
launch July 1
- June 04, 2007


RTA continues preparations to activate Salik on July 1st
- June 03, 2007

The latest news they have for us is dated June 4.

Salik, Aalik, Halik

Salik, in Arabic meaning smooth flowing

Aalik, in Arabic meaning stuck

Halik, in Arabic meaning doomed

Is it appropriate, yes for a place with a complete transportation system in place, where most use public transport, where there is no congestion on alternative routes, where there are appropriate tolls on all other major arteries creating zoning areas.

So where does the money go?If you don't pay and get fined, does that relate to your car registration?

I guess then there will be no WASTA for all who will pass, forget to pay, not want to pay etc...right?

Sorry but it's the wrong time to implement such a system in the wrong place.

My love for Salik

OK.. Almost every single blogger in the UAE has given their words of wisdom on why they hate Salik.. After a lot of thought, and after reading what others have said I have come up with something slightly different. However, even photographic evidence from just 2005 shows how lovely and empty our roads were back then.

This post is all about what I love about Salik, and the things I would do to make it better.(etc.)

...To continue the post please click here...

New Troll on the Block

I don't know who this gentlemen is, but he left a comment on my blog and I thought I should share it with you:

SEYED ALI SEYED MAHMOUD has left a new comment on your post "Salik":
i hereby write to reiterate my support for the RTA and its glorious leadership.
we need tolls to weed out unproductive white trash scum from our streets.
go back to london and tread on your dog shit.
there's a third salik coming up by the trade centre.
leave you suckers and GET SOME!

Nice eh?

Salik Petition

Here's another Salik thing

http://www.petitiononline.com/RtaSalik/petition.html

Not so Salik

This Salik thing is getting highly irritating. The RTA guys keep changing their words. Now they say that Salik is on a trial basis and Al Tayer said currently there are no plans to increase the number of toll gates.

I also find this unfair:

Al Tayer said that tourists who visit Dubai even for one day and plan to use the road with the Salik toll gates will have pay Dh100 for the tag.

He said if a car breaks down and is moved by a tow truck through the gates, fees will be charged for both vehicles.

I got my Salik card today. Just a note for those who are still to buy theirs. If the car is under your name, you just need a copy of the Car Registration Card (both sides). If the car is under a company name, you also need a copy of the Trade License alongwith the Car Registration Card. You fill out a form with basic details (Name, Date of Birth, Mobile numbers etc). One Salik account can be used for ten cars, so you don't need many individual account numbers if the car owner is the same.

I also got it clarified that Salik sticker cannot be stuck on car tints. So what happens to those super-tinted cars?


PS: For some reason, I can't use the hyperlink option, so I'm just going to paste the direct link. Here is the source: http://www.gulfnews.com/nation/Traffic_and_Transport/10133426.html

Any subliminal messages here?

Courtesy Gulf News.