Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of The Executive Council of Dubai, His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum plans to make Dubai a bicycle-friendly city, in line with Dubai Vision 2021, which seeks to make the city a preferred destination for tourists to visit and expats to live and work in.
The new initiative will also help meet the objective of Dubai Traffic Strategy 2021 to reduce the number of road fatalities. It will help further the goal of UAE Energy Strategy 2050 to achieve a 16 percent reduction in carbon emissions by 2021 and convert Dubai into a city with the world’s lowest carbon footprint.
H.H. Sheikh Hamdan made the announcement during Dubai Police’s ‘Cycling is a Lifestyle’ Innovation Lab held at the Cycle Hub in Jumeirah.
Commander-in-Chief of Dubai Police, Lt. General Abdullah Khalifa Al Marri inaugurated the Innovation Lab. In his opening speech, he said, “His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice President, Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai, is the greatest inspiration for us in promoting the use of bicycles and the integration of cycling into people’s lifestyles. A few days ago, we all saw His Highness riding a bike in Dubai.”
During the event, participants suggested the formation of a task force with representatives of Roads and Transport Authority Dubai, Dubai Police, Dubai Sports Council and the Supreme Legislation Committee. This task force will help create a bicycle-friendly community culture in Dubai.
Safety guides for cyclists, educational and promotional campaigns, bicycle insurance and local cycling events were some other initiatives discussed by the participants.
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Under Sheikh Hamdan’s directives, the emirate will be introducing laws and legislations to promote cycling as a sport as well as an environment-friendly mode of transportation. International best practices and safety measures will be adopted to develop the required infrastructure.
The world’s top bicycle-friendly cities currently are Copenhagen, Amsterdam, Antwerp, Tokyo and Vancouver.