Transportation has significant and long lasting economic, social and environmental impacts, and so is an important dimension of urban sustainability. Deploying efforts into this field can help in creating a better quality of life for everyone, now and for generations to come.

 

Sustainable transport planning recognizes that transport decisions affect people in many ways, so a variety of objectives and impacts should be considered in the planning process.

Today, we are seeing a strong interest in promoting more sustainable transportation patterns in the Middle East and specially the UAE. It is, therefore increasingly important to be able to measure and assess the sustainability of present and future transportation trends and policies.

The UAE has been rapidly witnessing a substantial growth of population and urbanization. This was followed by a huge investment in the tourism, construction and finance sectors. The unprecedented growth has put a big pressure on the development of an advanced infrastructure and transportation system.

The UAE is embracing sustainable transport in a big way by removing fuel subsidies and encouraging the use of electric and hybrid vehicles. The emirates of Ajman, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi have announced free parking for electric and eco-friendly cars, and Dubai has agreed to provide toll-free travel and special parking for electric cars. Dubai has also set a target for 10% of its civic vehicle fleet to be electric by 2020.

Dubai Electricity and Water Authority supports all efforts to transform Dubai into a green economy, and all efforts in preparation for the World Expo 2020, being held under the three themes of Opportunity, Mobility, and Sustainability, by enhancing infrastructure and services, according to the highest international standards, while meeting the needs of residences and businesses.Dewa will increase its use of electric cars in the near future to support the transition towards green transportation and the move towards green solutions in Dubai. Furthermore, Dewa always keeps abreast of the latest updates in this field and conducts research and development to make Dubai a leader in electric vehicles. Dewa aims to implement the Dubai Green Transport initiative and encourage the use of sustainable transportation with hybrid and electric vehicles, which will cut total carbon emissions in Dubai by up to 19 per cent.Through the Green Charger initiative, Dewa aims to install and manage the required infrastructure to supply cars with electric power, to decrease air pollution and preserve the environment. The Green Charger initiative supports the Smart Dubai initiative, launched by Sheikh Mohammed , to make Dubai the smartest city in the world. Dewa also launched two other promising initiatives, which are the Shams Dubai initiative, to connect solar energy, and Smart Applications through smart meters and grids.

Sustainable transportation and mobility play an important role in the advancement of the sustainable development agenda of countries. It has an impact on the public?s health and safety and to some extent play a role in the economic growth of the country for better and sustainable life for us and the coming generations. The UAE has strongly encouraged, supported and invested in the development of sustainable transport systems.

References:

Sustainability Square

The National