Toll gates on more roads and taxing entry in busy areas along with improvements in public transport could be the key to reducing traffic congestion in Dubai, say experts in urban planning and architecture.
“Right now, what we have in Dubai is a linear toll system,” said Dr. Khaled Alawadi, Associate Professor of Sustainable Urbanism at Khalifa University. “With the upcoming toll gates, we will have four toll gates on Sheikh Zayed Road alone. I think there would be an equal distribution of traffic if it was a circular toll system where toll gates are established on multiple roads rather than multiple toll gates on the same road.”
He said tolls can also be implemented on cars entering busy districts. “Areas like Dubai Marina and JBR are always congested,” he said. “If toll gates are put in these areas which makes entry free for residents and visitors are charged, it could reduce congestion.”
Shweta Gandhi, Associate Consultant of Urban Planning and Strategy at Kearney, said the effectiveness of toll gates in reducing traffic is not very high. “Tolls alone don’t solve traffic congestion,” she said. “They might divert or redistribute it, but they don’t address the root cause.”
According to Yasir Saeed, a Dubai-based architect and master planner, the tolls are currently making people cause more congestion on other highways. “To avoid the Dh4 tolls, they spend Dh10 on petrol trying to get to their destinations,” he said. “Moreover, due to the increasing amount of cars on the road, the traffic is quite high everywhere around the city. So it doesn’t matter whether you take tolls or not, you are invariably going to spend an hour or more in traffic during peak times.”
Public transport system
Shweta said that for tolls to have a “significant impact”, it was essential for alternate transport options to be accessible. “One of the most forward-thinking approaches is the Milton Keynes Mobility as a Service (MaaS) model in the UK,” she said.
“Instead of focusing solely on tolls, it offers a comprehensive platform integrating public transport, bike-share, and ride-hailing services. Users access multiple mobility options through one app, with dynamic pricing based on their transport choices providing users incentives. This shifts the focus from simply tolling vehicles to providing alternatives that reduce congestion.”
Dr. Khaled agreed. “I think the solution is for metro to go where you live and drop you to work,” he said. “The public transport system should be integrated in such a way. However, now there are densely populated areas of the city, like JVC, which the metro doesn’t service. I believe there should be an integration of transportation network with the land use plans.”
He said it was also important to use multiple models to predict population growth and the use of land. “With transportation modeling, you get a good idea of the number of people that will move in and out of certain areas and developments,” he said. “For example, Dubai South has a lot of people moving in now. Same with Dubai Hills Estate. There should be clear plans on how these areas will be serviced with alternate transportation systems to reduce crowding.”
Is dynamic pricing an option?
Shweta said that although dynamic pricing was feasible on paper, it had huge limitations, especially in a city like Dubai. “The increased tolls might not be high enough to shift behaviour significantly as most people will simply pay more to travel at peak times, without solving the congestion problem,” she said. “The alternative, traveling at odd hours, can disrupt people’s quality of life. In cities with robust public transport systems, dynamic pricing encourages people to leave their cars at home, but in Dubai, where those alternatives aren’t always feasible, it’s more of a financial burden than a traffic solution.”
Dr. Khaled said even the dynamic pricing system of tolls in Abu Dhabi is not applicable in Dubai. “In Abu Dhabi, tolls are charged during peak traffic hours,” he said. “However, Dubai is always busy. Even if you go out at midnight, there are a lot of cars on the road.”
According to Shweta, introducing alternative mobility options and creating the necessary soft mobility infrastructures like dedicated bike lanes, pedestrian-friendly streets, and better public transit connectivity was essential. “Moreover, citywide transport strategies should be integrated to avoid bottlenecks caused by isolated planning,” she said. “Without this alignment, we’re merely moving congestion around instead of solving it.”