Dubai's Road Network Could Stretch Halfway Around The World, Says RTA Chief

Dubai's roads handle more than 11 million trips every day - around 7,000 every minute - and the city's transport network could face even greater demand as its population grows.

By 2040, more than six million people currently moving around Dubai during the day could double, according to Mattar Al Tayer, Director General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).

Speaking at the Mohammed bin Rashid Leadership Forum, Al Tayer said Dubai's road network would stretch nearly halfway around the globe if laid end to end, reflecting the scale of the infrastructure needed to keep the city moving.

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“Behind every trip is time from a person's life. This is where our responsibility begins: keeping mobility flowing smoothly in a rapidly growing city and anticipating its needs before they become challenges.”

Al Tayer recalled that before 2005, Dubai's roads and transport infrastructure were struggling to keep pace with rapid urban growth. Congestion, limited access, economic losses and road fatalities were among the challenges facing the emirate.

In response, Dubai Ruler Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum tasked him with preparing a comprehensive study within two months. "It was completed in half that time, and the RTA was established less than a month later with a Dh75-billion budget approved by the ruler."

Since then, RTA projects have contributed Dh156 billion to Dubai's gross domestic product and generated more than Dh319 billion in savings through reduced travel time and fuel consumption, he added.

As Dubai prepares for further growth, the RTA is studying an integrated underground transport system to move people, goods and services. Al Tayer said it could improve the efficiency and sustainability of mobility and create new investment opportunities.

Al Tayer described the future of transport in Dubai as a three-dimensional network spanning the sky, ground level and underground. Plans and studies include the Dubai Loop, the Metro Gold Line and global technologies that could help the emirate make better use of the space beneath it.

At ground level, Dubai aims to make one in every four trips autonomous by 2030. Autonomous taxis have travelled more than four million kilometres, Al Tayer said.

The emirate is also advancing air mobility. Trials of air taxis began in 2016, and this year Dubai conducted an urban test flight and opened its first air taxi station, he said.

Meanwhile, the Dh34-billion Metro Gold Line, announced in 2026, is among the major infrastructure projects intended to support the city's future growth. Al Tayer said Dubai would continue to press ahead with major projects even in challenging circumstances.

The RTA is also developing 100 artificial intelligence products, which Al Tayer said could unlock productive capacity equivalent to that of 500 employees and help staff focus on higher-value work.

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