Dubai to open new dedicated bus and taxi lanes in city's old town

The 4.3km stretch along Khalid bin Al Waleed Street and Mina Street should speed up journeys and encourage more people to use public transport

This 4.3km stretch of road through Karama and the souq district will prevent public transport from being caught up in traffic jams. Courtesy: RTA

Dubai will open a new dedicated bus and taxi lane to encourage more people to use public transport.

A 4.3-kilometre corridor in the city's old town should allow vehicles to glide through traffic when it opens on January 21.

The two lanes are fenced off from regular traffic and marked with red strips along Khalid bin Al Waleed Street and Al Mina Street, with runs through Karama and the souq districts.

The new section will add to an existing trial in the area, meaning there are now 11.6km along seven streets: Mankhool, Khaleej, Khalid bin Al Waleed, Al Ghubaiba, Naif, Al Ittihad and Mina.

Mattar Al Tayer, director general of the city's Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said the move should "encourage people to ride public transport means rather than private vehicles".

He said the existing sections had shaved about 5 minutes from the average bus journey and should "improve taxi arrival times, and reduce the direct and indirect operational costs, as well as the pollutant emissions".

The new stretch is located on two streets that are congested at rush hour.

"Currently, 40 bus routes use dedicated lanes, including 19 routes that use Khalid bin Al Waleed Street", he added.