Miss Ann Thrope

Am I the only one who missed it when Dubai RTA stealthily doubled the toll on the stretch of SZR between Financial Centre and Marina by charging fully each time you pass under the Al Barsha and Al Safa toll gates? I only finally noticed because my Salik recharge was getting depleted so quickly. When I rang the call centre to see why, they told me in a very patronising way that this had been publicly announced.

I went back and googled it and indeed there were articles in Gulf News and Khaleej Times, though not The National, dating from mid Feb when this was implemented. However, they seemed pretty low key articles and with none of the follow-up and chatter that has followed other Salik changes like when they added gates or removed the daily cap.

The RTA claims it is to relieve congestion on SZR and direct traffic onto other routes especially now they have completed the 311 up to AD. It certainly seems to have worked with regards to Al Khail road which I have tried as an alternative.

I recall some years ago that the RTA sold the future revenue rights from the Salik gates to get a bit of upfront capital. I wonder how that works now that they have substantially increased the revenue with this step - who benefits?

DXBtoDOH

Nope and I don't even live in Dubai any more? I remember when it was announced and felt the effects when I was driving a hire car a few weeks back. RTA also changed the taxi fare regulations so you now pay the taxi's salik charges too (this may have been added on a different date but it's a new policy too).

scrubbedexpat141

I think I remember something about it, but I rarely top up my Salik. In the old days I used to use SZR morning and night from Business Bay to JLT and back....was about 200 a month in Salik. Started using it one way and it cut by more than half? Could never get my head around it.

But now my commute is on foot. Bliss.

Although for training in JLT this morning I got the metro. Which wasn't very convenient.

Miss Ann Thrope

But I recall the taxi change which was a couple of years ago and caused a hullaballoo. This one seems to have slipped by unnoticed - nobody in my office was aware when I asked them....

IKnowNothing

It was everywhere in the news at least a month ago.

Millhouse

Pretty sure the bond matured at the end of last year. We had the deal presented to us at the time.

Meow

Got to pay for Expo somehow habibi...