The introduction of bus lanes in Abu Dhabi and upgrading its bus stations is an important step in the process of developing the capital’s public transport system. The changes were welcomed by experts, who said that they would improve road-safety, encourage more people to ditch their cars in favour of public transport and ease congestion.
Since our roads were designed around cars, encouraging the use of public transport requires fundamental changes. Improving bus services is an essential component in making our cities more public-transport friendly. On the one hand, lanes, as Phil Clarke, the principal road safety consultant at Transport Research Laboratory, pointed out, will “lead to more reliable journey times and adherence to timetables for buses”, resulting in increased efficiency of bus services. On the other, upgrading bus stations and stops, and making sure they are comfortable for passengers are needed to encourage more people to use the service.
There is also a sound suggestion to include taxis in the plan to ensure quicker journeys, which has already been implemented in some parts of Dubai. Allowing taxis to use bus lanes – either throughout the day or only during peak hours – proved to be successful in many cities around the world in terms of improving road safety and easing congestion.
However, we also need to ensure that buses can move unhindered even during peak hours, so that commuters can rely on the timetable. While this shouldn’t be an issue in most areas in Abu Dhabi, it could be challenging in the central part of the city that suffers from high levels of congestion.
Efforts to streamline public transport ought to continue. The growing population of the capital means our city would require a more holistic plan to address future challenges. One day, we may need a more diversified public transport system that includes light rail. The preparation for that needs to start now.
