Cycle paths in Dubai 'will link tourists with beaches, parks and malls'

Dubai has unveiled plans to create cycle paths across the city to connect tourists and residents to beaches, malls and parks, in a bid to get people to swap cars for pedal power.

The Roads and Transport Authority's (RTA's) new project aims to create 900 km of bike paths by 2020 that will have interlinked tracks with communities across Dubai.

Commenting on the plans, Nasser Abu Shehab, the RTA’s executive director for strategic transport planning, said: "The Dubai bicycle master plan has a vision for an extensive bikeway network and this will include several residential areas."

Once complete, there will be cycle paths linking Jumeirah to parks, beaches and shops, with lanes to be constructed along the tram route in Dubai Marina and Al Sufouh later in 2015.

The RTA also wants the tracks in Al Barsha to connect to the Mall of the Emirates and Sharaf DG metro station. More than 150 km in path has already been constructed to promote cycling as a hobby, with this seeing a lot of activity from residents and tourists.

Last month, the organisation announced that there will be a 21 km path to connect the Al Qudra track to the Nad Al Sheba circuit.

Roger Cruickshank, director of strategic transport planning at Atkins, told the National: "Dubai is a tourism hub and always wants to be number one. In the first phase, what the RTA has done is build 100km of cycle tracks like Al Qudra that probably has a few thousand people there over the weekend."

He added that the RTA has recognised the need to get people to these areas in Dubai and get some of these facilities within the reach of communities. This is the second level in the overall plans and will focus on how to connect people with what they want to see and do without having to use a car.