No new Salik gates, says RTA official

RTA says it does not use road toll fees to fund future projects.

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DUBAI // There are no immediate plans to increase Salik charges or introduce new toll gates, according to a senior transport official.

The Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) plans to spend Dh20 billion on various projects over the next four years. However, those projects will not funded by increasing Salik fees or by building more gates, Abdul Mohsin Ibrahim Younes, the chief executive for strategy and corporate governance, told Reuters yesterday.

"Salik is not done to fund future projects, but to control the traffic conditions," Mr Younes was quoted as saying.

He said the RTA, which has spent more than Dh55bn in the past five years, aimed instead to create public-private partnerships to fund the projects.

The RTA said that specialised studies would be conducted before any new project was undertaken.

"It depends on the developments that occur in the future and traffic conditions on the road," read a statement from the authority.

"But we would like to emphasise that all of this is subject to appropriate studies which are consistent with the strategic plan of the authority."