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Under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council, His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, President of the Dubai International Marine Club, honoured the winners of the 11th edition of Dubai Award for Sustainable Transport (DAST). The award is an initiative of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) to motivate public and private sectors to contribute in easing traffic congestion and protect the environment.
Upon his arrival at the venue at the Dubai World Trade Center, His Highness was received by H.E Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA, along with a host of high ranking officials from the public and private sectors.
His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and attendees watched a short film about DAST highlighting the role of the award in protecting the environment and natural resources through conserving the consumption of power and implementing the principles of sustainable development; which are considered key components of a healthy future environment. It also instils the concept of public transport as a tool for curbing carbon emission. Attendees also watched another documentary film about the progression of the Award, along with the steady growth in the Award’s categories, honourees, attendees and topics.
Dan Ammann, CEO, Cruise Automation, delivered a speech in which he discussed the future of autonomous mobility and its benefits on people, economy, natural resources, time and money.
“The savings and economic revenues generated from the implementation of the Dubai Autonomous Transportation Strategy aims at converting 25% of total mobility journeys in the city into autonomous and driverless journeys by 2030, which is expected to hit AED 22 billion. He said that around 2.1 million traffic accidents take place in Dubai due to human error. And People tend to waste about one week (186 hours) each year by being stranded in snarls,” he said.
“Cruise Automation subjects its vehicles to the most challenging and complex situations simulating on-road conditions experienced by drivers to negotiate them skillfully. The systems fitted to the vehicle can capture information while the vehicle is in motion and analyse it to ensure compliance with the safety and security standards. The use of autonomous electric vehicles contributes to safeguarding lives and accelerating the transition to the use of alternative energy,”he added.
“Cruise Automation fits its vehicles with sophisticated sensors that enable the vehicle to move around smartly and safely on streets whatsoever is the complexity of the traffic conditions. The vehicle can turn around 360 degrees; which is beyond the human ability. The vehicle has ten cameras capable of taking ten frames per second, and accordingly, the vehicle can “see” the surrounding environment more accurately than the human driver. It ensures quick and safe response to potential traffic accidents,” he concluded.
Winners Awarded
Accompanied by HE Mattar Al Tayer, His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, then awarded the winners of various categories of the award. DP World was the winner in the Mobility Management category for the Smart Transport initiative. It is an excellent initiative involving planning and implementation and has a positive impact by reducing congestion. It steps up the efficiency of using trucks by adopting technological solutions. Car Transport, part of AW Al Rostamani, finished second for an initiative of using digital technology to boost logistical transport through using hi-tech to improve the efficiency of the fleet. Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company (Masdar) finished third for an initiative that encourages mobility practices through walking and cycling by providing suitable facilities and environment.
In the Transport Safety category, Dubai Municipality was the winner for the Smart Mobility project of the Municipality’s fleet; which uses new technology to improve the transport safety based on motivating individuals and achieving positive results. The Department of Urban Planning and Municipalities (Abu Dhabi City Municipality) was the runner-up for an advanced road traffic safety system. The system addresses transport safety during planning and design phases and up to the follow-up of the road condition after the start of operation. It contributed to positive results in the rates of accidents and fatalities.
Environment
His Highness Sheikh Mansour bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum awarded Abu Dhabi’s Department of Transport, the winner of the Environmental Protection Award category for its Green Transport initiative involving the use of low-emission vehicles. This strategic initiative, which covered the city, was well planned and constructed. It included performance indicators, and ambitious environmental and sustainability objectives. DP World came second for its initiative to improve the truck engine at the docks. The initiative addresses the implementation and ensures business continuity without impacting the port’s operations. It also generated excellent results; which can be applied to similar places. Dubai Municipality came second for the Sustainable Waste Management System.
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