New Year's Eve in Dubai: Road closures, where to park and how to get there...

Travelling by car on New Year’s Eve can be convenient, depending on the destination. In Dubai, the general advice is to travel by public transportation.

Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has urged public to use metro and public buses rather than private vehicles, as its master plan for the evening is based on the use of public transportation and sufficient resources have been deployed.

Nevertheless, measures have been taken to accommodate those who prefer commuting by car, with additional parking spaces, free shuttle services and road closures in the Downtown area, where the majority of traffic is expected.

Downtown Dubai

Downtown area is by far the most visited area on New Year’s Eve. Last year an estimated 1.7 million people went to the area to see the fireworks and a similar number is expected this year.

Visitors by any means are advised to arrive in the area by 6pm, said Emaar. As streets are expected to get crowded as the evening hits in, several roads will be closed by RTA.

From 8pm Mohammad bin Rashid Boulevard will be closed for traffic, said Hussein al Banna, Director of Traffic and the official spokesperson for the New Year’s Eve master plan of RTA.

Visitors planning to drive to and park in Downtown area are advised to do so in the afternoon. “Dubai Mall hosts 14,000 parking slots which will be open to the public, but the advice is to arrive by 4PM, said a Dubai Mall customer service representative.

“Around 6-7pm the parking garage of Dubai Mall is expected to be packed and finding a parking space will be nearly impossible. Getting out of the parking garage after the show is even more difficult and can take hours,” he added. 

When the parking lot of Dubai Mall is fully occupied, roads around the mall will be closed for traffic. Signs will be put up to inform road users of other routes and parking options, said the RTA.

“Financial Road is expected to be closed around 11-12pm, depending on traffic. If the road gets congested earlier, it will be closed earlier,” said Al Banna.

“The light signals will be monitored around-the-clock to ensure streamlined traffic flow as per the requirements of the vehicular density at intersections and streets nearby the Business Bay district,” said Maitha bin Adai, CEO of the Traffic and Roads Agency at RTA.

“Virtual Messaging Signs will direct road users to suitable alternative routes in coordination with the Dubai Police and Emaar Company in order to monitor the implementation of the plan and carry out any changes where needed.”

Access and exit routes

Several entry and exit roads surrounding the Downtown area have been closed or partially closed.

Outbound traffic on Al Asayel Street will be closed on the day of the event in order to dedicate this road for buses and taxis, bin Adai said.

A new street in the community, Al Asayel Street forms a link between Oud Metha Street and Business Bay. On New Year’s Eve motorists will not be able to approach the area from Oud Metha Street. Instead, traffic coming from the backside will find alternative entries from Al Khail Road in the Business Bay area, as long as Financial Road is open.

In the opposite direction on Al Asayel Road only one lane will be dedicated for buses and taxis, allowing regular traffic in the direction from Business Bay to Oud Metha Street, explained Maitha, adding that special focus of the traffic management plan is on giving way to vehicles leaving the area after the end of the event.

Partially closed will be Al Saada Street running between Business Bay and World Trade Center to make way for the shuttle bus and taxi services.

Two lanes in each direction will be dedicated for buses and taxis only, said bin Adai, calling upon motorists not to use these two express lanes.

Entry from Sheikh Zayed Road will be opened and closed as the traffic situation requires, said Al Banna. “This entry allows access to the event area, so we have to pay close attention. Consequently, some internal roads of Business Bay will be closed at some points as well.”

When open, motorists should take into account the ongoing road diversion on this stretch. A temporary exit to Business Bay has been established that can be recognised by the signboard reading Al Khaleej Al Tejari 1 St. Two lanes lead to this exit, but only one lane eventually heads into the community, while another lane leads back to Sheikh Zayed Road.

Finally, the exit at Interchange 1, right after getting out of Trade Center Tunnel will be closed.

Parking near Downtown

A more practical approach to the Downtown area by car is to make use of the park-and-shuttle facilities that have been organised by the RTA on the occasion of the event.

“The traffic plan includes the provision of additional 11,000 parking spaces, in addition to feeder buses for metro stations, which will be running around-the-clock,” said bin Adai.

Five dedicated parking areas have been established in the vicinity of the Downtown area; 1500 parking slots are available at the World Trade Center, 8000 slots at Meydan, 500 slots at Al Jafiliyah (Directorate of Residency & Foreigners Affairs), and 1000 slots at Zabeel Park in addition to the parking yard at the front of Al Wasl Sports Club.

At these sites, visitors can park their car and hop on the bus that will be available free of charge. “About 130 shuttle buses will be deployed to commute riders between the said parking spaces and the events site to avoid congestion,” said Maitha.

From World Trade Center and Al Jafiliyah commuters will be able to board the Metro, although Burj Khalifa-Dubai Mall Metro station will be closed from 10PM onwards. Instead, passengers can get off at Financial Center or Business Bay station, from where more shuttle buses will depart to the events area.

For more on the Metro or bus on New Year’s Eve, click here...

In the rest of the emirate no further road closures will be carried out, said Al Banna. “We do not expect too much traffic in other areas because the main event is in Downtown. There are no big events anywhere else.”

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