Sustainable Transport is sometimes known as Green Transport and it is any form of transport that does not use or rely on dwindling natural resources. Instead it relies on renewable or regenerated energy rather than fossil fuels that have a finite life expectancy.

Sustainable transport systems make a positive contribution to the environmental, social and economic sustainability of the communities they serve.

THE UAE IS EMBRACING SUSTAINABLE TRANSPORT

Today, we are seeing a strong interest in promoting more sustainable transportation patterns in the Middle East and specially the UAE.

Abu Dhabi's Department of Transport (DoT) was established in 2006 to support and regulate the development and growth of a world-class transport system in the Emirate of Abu Dhabi. DoT has greatly supported the deployment of sustainable transportation solutions. According to its latest report, the focus has been on addressing the challenges of congestion, developing the capacity of public transportation and building roads and transportation network infrastructure in order to reduce travel times, facilitate the development of multimodal transportation networks and the use of intelligent transport systems.

The department has also addressed the issue of safety by creating road traffic safety and security programs, implementing safety and security standards in all construction projects and ensuring the safety and security of all the government's employees, in addition to the integration of environmental solutions to augment efficiency and savings within the transport system.

The Road and Transport Authority (RTA) of the Emirate of Dubai has put in place comprehensive plans and policies to achieve its vision to make Dubai an accessible and environment friendly city. The Emirate of Dubai has pioneered the concept of public transport in the region by realizing in an early stage a high need for sustainable development.

RTA has put in place a range of environment-friendly services and products starting from the electric-powered driverless 'Dubai Metro', 'Tram' system generating zero carbon waste, to public buses that use a specific type of fuel that only contains 50 ppm of sulfur whereas the commercial fuel in use has a 500 ppm sulfur content, to car park machines operating with solar energy technologies, to the deployment of a number of hybrid vehicles in the Dubai Taxi fleet, bio-fuel powered bus , in addition to  recently reported conversion of vehicles to operate on natural gas.

UAE has invested in high speed rail system, light rail system in addition to cycling projects.

Each year, the Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport (DAST) motivates the business community to present effective solutions that reduce the negative impacts of transportation issues in the UAE.  DAST awards governmental or private companies. These companies have enhanced sustainability through innovative transportation solutions that increase mobility for all and improve safety as well as reducing transportation greenhouse and air pollution emissions.

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.

World famous exhibition "World Future Energy Summit (WFES)" will focus on Sustainable Transport, next year in Abu Dhabi from 16-19 January 2017. 'WFES-Sustainable Transport' will be  the perfect way to place  business at the heart of the sustainable transport community in the MENA region.

Taking place at the Abu Dhabi National Exhibition Centre as part of Abu Dhabi Sustainability Week, Sustainable Transport, hosted by Masdar, is an exhibition for regional and international manufacturers and distributors to showcase the latest industry developments in the sector.

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. 

In a nutshell, sustainable 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. 

 Sources:

www.earthtimes.org/encyclopaedia/environmental-issues/sustainable-transport/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sustainable_transport

http://sustainablesquare.com/sustainable-transportation-eye-on-the-united-arab-emirates-2/