Page 99 - SALIK PR REPORT OCTOBER 2024

Dr Menendez, who is also director at the Research Centre for Interacting Urban
Networks, said that aside from potentially decongesting the roads at varying times,
implementing dynamic pricing can also help improve fund road infrastructure projects.

She noted: “First, revenue from the collected tolls can be reinvested into transportation
infrastructure. This could include initiatives to improve roads or enhance public transport
services.

“Second, as with any form of pricing, there is a possibility that dynamic tolls motivate
some people to adjust their travel habits. If this occurs, traffic on certain roads may
decrease, benefiting the remaining drivers who will then experience reduced
congestion.”

Expand transportation options

Dr Menendez, however, noted: “Only drivers with access to other transportation modes
or flexible schedules can change their travel times to avoid the higher toll prices.

“Hence, it is important to also deploy complementary strategies, such as promoting
more flexible working hours and expanding the provision of alternative transportation
options like buses and metro systems,” she underscored.

In a previous interview, Shweta Gandhi, associate consultant of urban planning and
strategy at Kearney, told Khaleej Times that the effectiveness of toll gates in reducing
traffic is not very high. “Tolls alone don’t solve traffic congestion. They might divert or
redistribute it, but they don’t address the root cause,” she said, underscoring: Dynamic
pricing seems feasible on paper but it has limitations, especially in a city like Dubai.”

https://www.khaleejtimes.com/uae/dubai-can-dynamic-pricing-at-salik-toll-gates-decongest-
roads