Dubai, August 30: With only 10 days to go for the Dubai Metro to roll out, the city’s residents cannot wait to hop on board the world’s longest driverless train. Already, the trial runs have become show-stoppers for children, who cannot but resist asking their parents, when they will be taken for a ride.
For children, the Dubai Metro could be yet or just another new attraction of the city, like the Dubai Fountain or Zabeel Park. But for thousands of others, the opening of the metro on 090909 also marks the beginning of a new lifestyle.
For many motorists the frustration of inching through a traffic deadlock is so unbearable they take long routes to avoid getting caught in the traffic.
The Dubai Metro is expected to take a sizeable load of cars off the the roads, which means, easier vehicular streaming. Car pooling has long been advocated in Dubai but was seldom heeded to by commuters. The Metro could, perhaps, lead to less people using their cars for everyday work, thus improving lifestyles drastically.
The commitment to deliver on time is very much visible across the tracks and stations that the Dubai Metro will run through. The hi-tech stations are ready to welcome the users, and soon, they will become beehives of activity, kick-starting another era of opportunities for Dubai, especially for small and medium businesses.
As is usual with any change, there are sounds of skepticism too, and they come from shopping mall parking lots.
The Mall of the Emirates is expected to be one of the busier stops on Dubai Metro but visitors to the mall were skeptical about the changes to the parking system to involve fees ahead of the train’s launch.
Visitors to the mall on Saturday, where a new parking system is being tested, said parking at the mall will be too expensive. The system is being introduced to discourage people from parking at the mall before they catch the Metro.
Customers at the mall can witness construction workers operating on the Metro Link which is expected to hold 10 retail stores such as Home sweet Home, Nokia and Emax once completed. The entrance to the metro is located above Carrefour.
According to pamphlets at the mall, customers are given a parking ticket wherein the first three hours are free of charge. The following hours are charged at Dh20 for four hours, Dh60 for six hours and Dh350 for parking overnight.
Customers are fined Dh150 in case of losing the parking ticket. Payments on the ticket are validated at the pay machines located inside the mall.
Khaleej Times asked customers if they will use the mall’s parking lot as a central location once the metro is up and running. “The mall has a strategic location in the heart of Dubai,” said Thierry, 28, an engineer. “There are the shopping stores, the cinema and entertainment spots like Ski Dubai.”
But he still won’t park his car at the mall because of the parking fees. “Parking for over seven hours at the mall can cost more than Dh150. I would rather take a taxi.”
The mall is saving its parking space for customers intending to shop and charge those who will be using the space for other purposes.
Sarah, 24, an architect, said: “Why else will the first three hours be for free? That way the mall can be assured that people won’t just park here and leave for the remainder of the day.”
Parking for over three hours will include an extra fee for the customer, so why would anyone want to park in the mall, asked Mustafa, 20, a student. “There are a lot of stores I like here but I still won’t park at the mall because of the fees.”
If you live in a location close to another metro station there will be little chance of you using the mall for parking, said Hamid, 27, a business analyst. “I live in Dubai Marina so if I want to take the metro I will be taking it from home. It’s too expensive to leave your car at the Mall of Emirates. I suppose there are other places where you can park for free.”
–Agencies