Dubai drives ahead with smart initiatives paper
Date
4/27/2016 5:10:46 AM
(MENAFN- Emirates News Agency (WAM))
ABU DHABI 27th April 2016 (WAM) -- A UAE newspaper has said that smart initiatives are a hallmark of Dubai. The city has always scored the highest marks when it comes to innovative ideas and their timely implementation.
"The launching of an ambitious plan for smart self-driving transport by Vice President and Prime Minister and Ruler of Dubai His Highness Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum is the latest strategy aimed at making Dubai the smartest city in the world" said The Gulf Today in an editorial on Wednesday.
A smart city as experts highlight offers a multi-layered eco-system which provides residents with a smart living experience encompassing aspects such as economy transport power and municipal services.
As per the plan by 2030 25 percent of all transportation trips in Dubai will be smart and driverless. The strategy is projected to generate economic revenues and savings of up to AED22 billion a year.
As Sheikh Mohammed stated Dubai is fast evolving into a global laboratory for technology and research and development.
The advantages of the new plan are tremendous. When implemented the strategy would help reduce transportation costs by 44 percent or AED900 million saving Dhs1.5 billion through reduction of environmental pollution and AED18 billion through raising efficiency of the transport sector by 20 percent.
It is not just that. It will increase productivity of individuals by 13 percent and save people up to 396 million hours wasted during travel on roads yearly. It will contribute to reducing road accidents and their associated economic losses by 12 percent saving AED2 billion a year.
According to studies conducted by the World Economic Forum while 58% of the population of major cities prefers to use autonomous transportation the figure goes up to 70% in the case of Dubai.
The UAE has already become a global centre for future technology such as drones robots and artificial intelligence. Dubai is proving to be a perfect global model as the city of the future.
The paper concluded by quoting H.H. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum Crown Prince of Dubai as saying "His Highness Sheikh Mohammed wants a smart city smart economy smart education and smart environment; he wants to make a different life not for upcoming generations but a different life now."
WAM/Esraa/Moran