Salik Company, Dubai’s toll gate operator, announced on Wednesday an improved financial outlook with increased revenue making trips projected to rise between 7 and 8 percent in 2024.
The new toll gates will be put up in Business Bay and Al Safa South thus raising the total toll gates from the current eight to ten by the end of November this year.
New Salik gates are to be installed on main Dubai roads and both will be launched before the end of November in the current year.
Initially, announced by the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) on Friday, January 19, we will have to pay through some points on the Al Khail Road and Sheikh Zayed Road.
The first toll gate essentially will be on Business Bay crossing Al Khail Road. The second will be an Al Safa South Toll Gate on Sheikh Zayed Road at Al Meydan & Umm Al Sheif Sts.
Toll Fees
The good news is if you cross the two Safa Gates (north and south) within an hour, you’ll only be charged once. The same can be also said with the existing gates of Al Mamzar.
Salik is a pre-paid system that charges a fee of Dhs 4 for each passing through a Salik toll gate.
It is to help avoid traffic so that the people who decide to use their cars are provided with a fast and traffic-free mode of transport.
When the gates were first announced, Mattar Al Tayer, the Director General and the Chairman of the board of executive directors of the RTA said that the gates would help spread out traffic throughout the road network.
“The traffic toll policies also encourage the public to shift towards mass transport means such as the metro, buses, marine transport, and soft mobility options,” he added.
Travelling time
It will also help in cutting down on traveling time across the city, especially now that new Salik gates have been put in place. For instance, it is assumed that the Business Bay Crossing Gate will help to decrease the load on Al Khail Road by the rate of 15 percent and on Al Rebat Street – by the rate of 16 percent.
It will also help to decrease travel time, especially on Sheikh Zayed Road because of new gates that are going to be installed. For example, the Business Bay Crossing Gate is hence expected to help alleviate traffic by at least 15 percent on Al Khail Road as well as by 16 percent on Al Rebat Street.
The Al Safa South Gate will be minimized by 15 percent right turns from Sheikh Zayed Road to Al Meydan Street.
“It is also expected to reduce Al Meydan And Al Safa Street traffic into Sheikh Zayed Road by 42%.
It is expected to reduce the traffic load on Sheikh Zayed Road between Financial Centre and Latifa Bint Hamdan Streets by 4 percent and improve the utilization of the First Al Khail and Al Asayel Roads by another 4 percent, “said Al Tayer.
Salik is a Dubai Road toll collection system that started in the year 2007. At present, the existing toll gates are eight throughout the city. Motorists are charged Dhs4 to pass through each gate while pedestrians are allowed in free of charge.
The company also has a monopoly in operating and managing toll gates in Dubai for the period up to 30 June 2071.
On the courtesy of the contract signed with Salik and the RTA, the charges have been set at Dhs2.734 billion where the transport authority is put to install the gates.