Stiff penalties await motorists who disobey new rules governing traffic on roads shared with Dubai Tram, the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has warned.
New signs and pavement markings have been put up along the 10.6 kilometre tram network ahead of its November 11 opening.
RTA has urged motorists as well as pedestrians to learn and to understand the signs before they use roads shared with Dubai Tram.
Where the routes of the Dubai tram and other vehicles intersect, the tram will have priority. Vehicular traffic from all directions will stop whenever trams cross the intersections, as the trams will have right of way. It is important for motorists not to block these box junctions!
The trams pass through at least 30 junctions, crossings and intersections starting from Dubai Police Academy in Al Sufouh to Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Beach Residence.
Each tram will have capacity for 405 passengers on seven coaches. It will operate for 20 hours a day, from 5am to 1am.
The signs and markings applied on the road as part of the Dubai Tram project have not been used previously on Dubai roads. . People should be extra careful when they drive or walk on roads and pavements that share space with trams.
Failure to obey a regulatory sign, unless directed otherwise by a traffic officer, constitutes an offence and is punishable by law. RTA has announced huge fines for various offences related to disruption of tram movement, ranging from Dh2,000 to Dh30,000. Among the biggest offences is jumping the red light at a tram intersection and causing a fatal accident. This offence could lead to a fine in the range of Dh10,000 to Dh30,000 along with suspension of the offender’s driving licence for up to one year.
Apart from road signs, there are several regulatory pavement markings that are unique to areas where the tram operates. The display of a regulatory marking on its own is sufficient to establish a regulatory condition and does not require a supportive regulatory sign to give effect to the regulatory message of the marking. Disregard for a regulatory pavement marking constitutes an offence and is punishable by law. Examples of regulatory markings include zigzag lines where stopping a vehicle or changing lanes is prohibited at all times. Other pavement markings include yellow and white zebra crossings on tram tracks that are not controlled by traffic lights, and raised speed humps.
The new Dubai tram system will be surrounded by 64 new speed cameras to slow nearby motorists – 150 traffic officers will also be deployed to monitor traffic at tram intersections.
Driving schools have introduced mandatory classes to teach students how to interpret the signs and to avoid accidents while sharing the road with the tram
