By dubailife 
**New Salik Gates in Dubai to Ease Traffic and Improve Road Efficiency**
Motorists in Dubai have recently shared photos with *Khaleej Times* of two new Salik gates being installed in the city. These additional toll gates will bring the total number of Salik gates in Dubai from eight to 10. The new gates are located at key traffic points: one at Business Bay Crossing on Al Khail Road, and the other at Al Safa South on Sheikh Zayed Road, between Al Meydan Street and Umm Al Sheif Street.
Salik Company PJSC, Dubai’s exclusive toll gate operator, disclosed in its half-year financial report that the new toll gates are expected to be fully operational by the end of November this year. The goal of these additions is to help reduce traffic congestion in key areas of Dubai.
**Salik’s New Traffic Management Strategy in Dubai**
A photograph taken on Al Khail Road approaching Business Bay Crossing shows the familiar silver boards that will soon be equipped with RFID (Radio Frequency Identification) technology. This system automatically detects vehicles and scans the Salik sticker tag, ensuring a seamless toll deduction for motorists traveling from Dubai towards Sharjah.
Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) revealed that the locations of the new toll gates were determined after comprehensive traffic flow studies. The aim is to redistribute traffic more efficiently, reduce congestion, and encourage motorists to use alternative routes with greater capacity. This strategy is expected to make travel smoother for motorists throughout Dubai, particularly in congested areas like Sheikh Zayed Road and Al Khail Road.
**How Dubai’s New Salik Gates Will Reduce Traffic Congestion**
According to the RTA, the two new Salik gates are anticipated to significantly alleviate traffic. For example, the Salik gate on Business Bay Crossing will:
– Divert traffic from Jebel Ali to Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed and Emirates Roads.
– Decrease congestion on Al Khail Road by up to 15%.
– Reduce traffic on Al Rebat Street by up to 16%.
– Cut traffic on Financial Centre Street by 5%.
– Reduce total travel time on Al Khail Road between Al Rebat and Ras Al Khor Streets by approximately 20,000 hours daily, in both directions.
The Al Safa South Salik gate, on the other hand, will:
– Lower right-turning traffic from Sheikh Zayed Road to Al Meydan Street by 15%.
– Reduce traffic from Al Meydan and Al Safa Streets to Sheikh Zayed Road by about 42%.
– Decrease traffic between Financial Centre Street and Latifa Bint Hamdan Street on Sheikh Zayed Road by 4%.
– Enhance the use of First Al Khail Road and Al Asayel Street by 4%.
**Salik System Overview in Dubai**
Dubai currently has eight operational Salik gates at locations including Al Mamzar North, Al Mamzar South, Al Garhoud Bridge, Al Maktoum Bridge, Airport Tunnel, Al Safa, Al Barsha, and Jebel Ali. Each time a vehicle passes through a Salik gate, the RFID system scans the Salik sticker on the car’s windshield, and a toll fee of Dh4 is automatically deducted from the motorist’s prepaid account. These accounts can be easily topped up online or through recharge cards.
Motorists who fail to maintain sufficient balance or pass through a Salik gate without a valid tag may incur penalties. In 2023, approximately 593 million journeys were made through Dubai’s toll gates, and from January to June 2024, 238.5 million trips were recorded, generating Dh1.1 billion in revenue—a 5.6% increase from the same period last year.
**Dubai and Abu Dhabi: Toll Systems in the UAE**
Dubai is not the only UAE city with a toll system. Abu Dhabi introduced its road toll system, Darb, in January 2021. Similar to Dubai, motorists are charged Dh4 for passing through key bridges leading into the capital, such as Al Maqtaa Bridge, Mussafah Bridge, Sheikh Zayed Bridge, and Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Bridge. However, unlike Dubai’s 24-hour Salik system, Darb charges are only applied during peak hours (7am-9am and 5pm-7pm, Monday to Saturday), with no fees during non-peak hours and all-day-free access on Sundays and public holidays.
In contrast, Salik gates in Dubai remain active throughout the day and night, except for Al Maktoum toll gate, where passing is free on Sundays and between 10pm and 6am from Monday to Saturday.
The introduction of new Salik gates in Dubai is set to further enhance the city’s traffic management capabilities, ensuring smoother commutes and contributing to the ongoing development of Dubai’s world-class road infrastructure.
Source : Khaleejtimes