A 16 kilometer cycling track will be built along the scenic Jumeirah Beach in Dubai.
The new track will connect the existing tracks along Jumeirah Street in Dubai Water Canal and King Salman bin AbdulAziz Al Saud Street in Dubai Internet City.
H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai and Chairman of Dubai Executive Council, gave a go signal for the construction of the cycling track.
The construction of the new path is part of an approved Dh400 million strategy to make cycling safer in the emirate.
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The initiative is part of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan that aims to make Dubai the best city in the world to live.
His Highnesses Sheikh Hamdan said the plan will add 276km of tracks, bringing the total length of bicycle paths in Dubai to 739km by 2026.
“We [want to] provide all [transport] alternatives to make our society healthy and maintain a sustainable environment.”
The cycling track along Jumeirah Beach is part of a master plan for constructing cycling tracks to link vital areas of the Emirate, according to Mattar Mohammed Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
The first sector of the track has a width of four metres stretching alongside Jumeirah Beach parallel to the existing jogging and walking tracks that extend from Dubai Water Canal to Umm Suqeim Park.
The second sector, which has a width of three metres, will be built alongside Jumeirah Street and King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Street up to Dubai Internet City.
It will serve several hotspots alongside Jumeirah Beach such as the Sunset Mall, Open Beach, Dubai Sailing Club, Kite Beach, Umm Suqeim Park, and Burj Al Arab.
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Al Tayer said the RTA seeks to extend the total length of cycling paths in Dubai from 439km from 2020 to 739 km by 2026 to link vital areas of the emirate with various public transit means.
“The public can use the track for cycling alongside a beach that boasts a variety of service facilities. They can also benefit from the shared bike services available at the Sunset Mall, Al Manara Mosque and Umm Suqeim Park,” he said.
“The speed limit set for this track is 20 km/h and is classified among mobility, sports and leisure tracks,” Al Tayer noted.
RTA has set a speed limit of 30 km/h for tracks dedicated to cyclists with tracks in urban areas shared with pedestrians set at 20 km/h.
However, no specific speed limits have been set for tracks created for training purposes. (RA)
