Roads & Transport Authority - News Details

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has won the Global Road Achievement Award for Road Safety from International Road Federation (IRF), thanks to Dubai Traffic Accident Black Spot Management System. 

IRF’s Global Road Achievement Awards are among the leading global awards for recognizing creative road projects and individuals who care for the improvement of roads in the socio-economic development of nations. 

His Excellency Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, received the award from His Excellency C. Patrick Sankey, President & CEO of IRF. The award was presented in a ceremony held to honour winners of IRF awards on the sidelines of IRF Global R2T Conference & Exhibition held in Las Vegas, the USA in the presence of ministers and top executives in the fields of roads and transport from all over the world. 

Al Tayer was delighted with the achievement as it culminates the massive efforts put by RTA to achieve the highest traffic safety standards in this vital field, and cope with the safety challenges on Dubai roads. “RTA will continue to prioritise traffic safety, especially for children, as part of its comprehensive safety strategy. We will endeavour to cut road fatalities and improve the safety of our roads to the highest global standards in line with our vision of Safe and Smooth Transport for All,” said Al Tayer. 

“RTA has undertaken several projects, plans and initiatives to improve traffic safety, reduce pedestrian accidents, and improve the traffic safety culture of road users in Dubai. In conjunction with Dubai Police, RTA will implement the 5-year traffic safety strategy, and seek to achieve the key performance indicators and targets of Dubai Traffic Safety Strategy 2017-2021. Road accident fatalities in Dubai have plummeted from 22 cases per 100 thousand of the population in 2006 to 2.4 cases per 100 thousand of the population in 2018. 

“We will continue our efforts to improve traffic safety on Dubai roads to rank Dubai amongst the top cities in traffic safety worldwide. RTA increased the number of pedestrian bridges and tunnels by 358% from 26 to 119 and provided safe pedestrian crossings and traffic calming devices in all residential areas, especially nearby schools and mosques. RTA’s traffic awareness campaigns are focused on improving traffic safety for certain segments such as workers, students & parents and motorists. The campaigns are delivered in multiple languages to reach to the intended audience. Specialist workshops were held in schools, workers accommodations and big companies to deliver the message of the campaign,” added Al Tayer.

Eng. Maitha bin Adai, CEO of Traffic & Roads Agency, accepted the trophy from His Excellency Eng. Abdullah Al-Mogbel, IRF Chairman as well as His Excellency C. Patrick Sankey, IRF President & CEO, during IRF’s awards distribution ceremony. The event, which was held on the sidelines of IRF Global R2T Conference & Exhibition in Las Vegas, USA, was attended by scores of ministers and top officials of transport and roads in various countries. 

Visits

Accompanied by Eng. Maitha bin Adai, CEO of Traffic & Roads Agency; Mohammed Obaid Al Mulla, Board Member; and several directors, Al Tayer visited some American entities including the traffic control centre. He was briefed about the free and arterial traffic system, traffic control room and the autonomous vehicle. The delegation visited Neon Project to review the dedicated transit lines, traffic signals system, central junctions, and APTIV Technology Centre to review the autonomous technology in use. 

Al Tayer held a meeting with Dan Aman, CEO of General Motors to discuss cooperation in self-driving vehicles. He also met with HE C. Patrick Sankey, President & CEO of the International Road Federation to discuss the hosting of IRF Conference and Exhibition in Dubai in 2021. Discussions also focused on more cooperation between RTA and IRF in benchmarking and innovation in roads. 

Objectives

Instituted in 2000, IRF Awards have distinguished more than 120 programs, projects and products from around the world. Today, the Awards are recognized as a prestigious industry accolade in their own right, but they also serve to remind a much wider audience that the mobility everyone takes for granted would not be possible without the talent and commitment of our industry. By showcasing new technologies and creative solutions, they also serve as an accelerator of progress and new ideas.