DUBAI 20 June 2021: H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, ordered the construction of a cycling track extending 16 km alongside Jumeirah Beach.
The new track will connect the existing Jumeirah Street cycling track parallel to the Dubai Water Canal with the existing cycling track alongside King Salman bin AbdulAziz Al Saud Street located in Dubai Internet City, said Wam.
Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), said the new cycling track stretches 16 km alongside Jumeirah Beach and links the existing Jumeirah Street cycling track (at Dubai Water Canal) with the existing cycling track along King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Street (at Dubai Internet City).
“The first sector of the track has a width of four metres stretching alongside Jumeirah Beach in parallel to the existing jogging and walking tracks that extend from Dubai Water Canal to Umm Suqeim Park. The second sector, which has a width of three metres, runs alongside Jumeirah Street and King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Street up to Dubai Internet City. It will serve several hotspots alongside Jumeirah Beach such as the Sunset Mall, Open Beach, Dubai Sailing Club, Kite Beach, Umm Suqeim Park, and Burj Al Arab.
“The public can use the track for cycling alongside a beach that boasts a variety of service facilities. They can also benefit from the shared bike services available at the Sunset Mall, Al Manara Mosque and Umm Suqeim Park. The speed limit set for this track is 20 km/h and is classified among mobility, sports and leisure tracks,” commented Al Tayer.
“The cycling track along Jumeirah Beach is part of a master plan for constructing cycling tracks to link vital areas of the Emirate. The Master Plan for Cycling Tracks 2026 envisages the construction of additional cycling tracks extending 276 km, which will bring the total length of cycling tracks in the Emirate to 739 km. The Plan aims to link the tracks at the coastal areas, such as Jumeirah, Al Sufouh and Al Marina with the external tracks at Al Qudra, Seih Assalam and Nad Al Sheba via Al Barsha, Dubai Hills and Nad Al Sheba,” explained Al Tayer.
“The design, construction and setting of speed limits for cycling tracks are in line with top international standards and technical directories. It is also customised to the nature of the locality and the classification of the tracks. These tracks encourage residents and visitors to practise cycling such that it will develop into an alternative and sustainable mobility means that serves the first and last-mile strategy,” concluded Al Tayer.
Dedicated cycling tracks constructed till the end of 2020 extend a total of 463 km. RTA is seeking to further extend the total length of cycling tracks to 739 km by 2026 to link vital areas of the emirate with various public transit means.
RTA has set a speed limit of 30 km/h for tracks dedicated to cyclists. Tracks in urban areas dedicated to cyclists or shared with pedestrians have a speed limit of 20 km/h. However, no specific speed limits have been set for cycling tracks created for training purposes. The speed limits aim to ensure the safety of both pedestrians and cyclists.
Cyclists urged to adhere safety guidelines and traffic laws
The Dubai Police, represented by the General Directorate of Traffic, has urged cyclists to abide by safety guidelines and traffic laws to ensure their own safety.
Colonel Jumaa bin Suwaidan, Acting Director of General Directorate of Traffic at Dubai Police, pointed out that a number of cyclists have been exposed to serious accidents and injuries as a result of negligence and non-compliance with the rules of cycling in designated lanes and tracks.
Col. Suwaidan pointed out that the General Directorate of Traffic at Dubai Police has launched several traffic crackdowns in Deira and Bur Dubai to seize bicycles that violate traffic rules.
He indicated that the traffic campaigns resulted in recording 7,031 violations and confiscating 454 bicycles since the beginning of 2021.
“Seventy-seven of these bicycles were seized in Jumeirah, 32 on Sheikh Zayed Road, 26 in Al Barsha, 22 in Al Satwa, 20 on Umm Suqeim Road, 16 in Al Jaffiliya, 14 in Al Karama, eight in Discovery Gardens, eight on Al Khail Road, six bicycles on Al Wasl Road, and one bicycle on each December 2nd and Mohammed bin Zayed roads,” Col. Suwaidan explained.
