Helipads planned alongside three Dubai metro stations

Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority has announced plans to construct helipads alongside three Dubai metro stations for use during emergencies.

Helipads at Rashidiya, Qusais and Jebel Ali will help during emergency situations for medical evacuation and reduce the response time to crises, the RTA said.

The announcement was made after the RTA held a meeting with the Dubai Police to discuss potential improvements that can be jointly implemented to ensure the protection and safety of metro and tram riders as well as road users.

For the metro, policemen are deployed around the clock in 25 locations while the Dubai Tram is manned by 230 officers, a statement said.

Three mounted patrols and four motorcycles are also deployed 24-hours a day and police vehicles and motorcycles at the Dubai Tram have made more than 2700 movements.

The meeting also reviewed ways to improve traffic efficiency at junctions in the Jumeirah Beach Road area.

Some of the modifications include closing left turns at junctions, abolishing the parking of vehicles on the sides of roads leading to The Walk, removing the bus stop at the junction and adding a free right-hand lane at the intersection.

The RTA will monitor and track the current situation on daily basis before the implementation of the traffic solutions, it said.

Up to 88 million users rode the metro in the first half of 2015, up 8.3 per cent compared to the same period last year, the RTA recently revealed.

The Dubai Tram, which began operating 10 months ago, also saw over 1.8 million passengers in H1 2015.

According to figures revealed by the RTA, usage of public transport in Dubai grew from six per cent in 2006 to 14 per cent in 2014. Authorities are further aiming to increase that figure to 30 per cent by 2030.