Today's Edition
MAYS IBRAHIM (ABU DHABI)
The UAE has allocated more than Dh170 billion to projects through 2030 aimed at improving mobility between the emirates and easing traffic congestion, a senior Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure official said on Wednesday.
The investment will support a target to increase the efficiency of the federal road network to 73% by 2030, Sheikh Naser Majid Alqasemi, Assistant Undersecretary for the Infrastructure and Transport Regulation Sector at the ministry, told LIVEX Abu Dhabi 2026.
“Our ambition is to create a country where every citizen and resident can live with greater security, mobility and well-being,” Alqasemi said.
The ministry’s role, he added, is to strengthen the infrastructure supporting mobility, including connected infrastructure, reliable energy and coordination across transport systems.
“The starting point is the experience of the person making the journey,” he said, noting that investments in connectivity focus on how easily people can reach their destinations and how efficiently transport systems serve them.
“Infrastructure must keep pace with growing communities, changing travel needs and the economic activity that connects our cities,” Alqasemi noted.
“The outcome is a transport system that serves people's daily lives more effectively.”
The focus on easing daily journeys was echoed during a LIVEX panel on urban mobility, where officials highlighted how Abu Dhabi was moving towards an integrated mobility system designed around people’s journeys from origin to destination.
Dr Eng. Abdulla Alghfeli, Director General of the Integrated Transport Center, said that ITC’s approach is to reduce reliance on private cars by combining urban planning, public policy, and transport services, while using technology to manage demand across the existing network.
Mohamed Hussein Karmastaji, CEO of Q Mobility, explained how the emirate is using technology and pricing to manage demand rather than simply trying to limit car use.
This includes introducing a new parking forecast system that allows drivers to know whether a space is likely to be available before they arrive.
Karmastaji said this could reduce the need to circle for 10 or 20 minutes before parking and encourage people to consider other modes of transport.
Officials are also looking at how different modes of transport could work together, including public transport, private mobility services and other options.
Ashish Labroo, Regional General Manager for the Middle East at Uber, said private mobility platforms could complement public transport by helping people travel between their homes and major transport hubs.
He cited Etihad Rail as an example of public transport serving as a “backbone”, with other mobility services helping passengers complete the first or last leg of their journey.
The panel also examined how autonomous mobility could reshape the use of roads and urban space.
Sebastian Thrun, an AI and robotics pioneer and founder of Google X and Waymo, said autonomous vehicles could the economics of transport, while reducing the amount of space cities need for parking.
“The cost of driving will soon be lower than the cost of car ownership,” Thrun said.
He said fully autonomous vehicles could also allow cities to reduce parking space and use urban land more efficiently, while making shared and public transport systems more flexible.
