Additional space reserved specifically for female passengers on the Dubai Metro will be officially announced on February 15. Previously women were allocated a reserved cabin for themselves and small children with an additional reserved cabin during peak traffic hours, which has now been deemed insufficient.
Mohammed Mudharreb, director of Rail Operations at the Road and Transport Authority, told the Khaleej Times,“We’ve been conducting regular trials and surveys for the past year in this matter. The responses we’ve received from our public surveys have been very positive as well. As of now, we are updating the banners and signage on the platforms and trains."
Following the official announcement on February 15, the RTA plans to run a public campaign to raise awareness about the change. Signage at metro stations already clearly marks the formerly reserved cabin and the extension during peak hours, which began in September of 2013 .
Women are reported to have responded positively to the new initiative. Mona Maglanque, a regular commuter in Dubai, told the Khaleej Times, “I think this is a great initiative, because even during off-peak hours, we hardly find a place to sit in the metro trains.”
A male commuter, Bashar Hassan, also interview by the Khaleej Times expressed support as well saying, "There should be more than two cabins for women, especially during peak times, because the trains are so congested. Special provisions should also be made for pregnant women and small children.”
Whether or not other male passengers agree with Hassan, they will likely avoid defying the new regulation. Men will be fined 100 dirhams for any violations of the new policy.
Currently the metro system consists of two lines, the Red Line and the Green Line. According to last year's statistics, average daily metro usage hovered close to half a million with increases during holidays. As the population of the city and tourism continues to grow (with the goal of reaching 15 million tourists this year), additional strain is anticipated on the existing metro infrastructure, which is already often overcrowded.
Dubai's metro celebrated its fifth anniversary last fall, first opening the Red Line in 2009 and adding the Green Line in 2011. Daily use has increased dramatically from 60,000 in the beginning to the present daily usage by half a million riders. The system has also been classified as the the longest driverless metro in the world, according to Guinness World Records in 2012.
Featured photo courtesy of Daniel Zimmermann, from Flickr.com .