DUBAI: Under the patronage of Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed, Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council, the 2nd MENA Transport Congress & Exhibition 2016 starts today. The event, which is organised by the Roads & Transport Authority (RTA) in Dubai under the theme Urban Mobility: Think Big, Act Smart, features the participation of 600 delegates from 29 countries including 10 appointed transport ministers. A lineup of 102 speakers hailing from 39 countries will deliver speeches to the audience. The accompanying exhibition, which spans an area of 6480 square metres, is expected to attract more than 3000 people.
The opening ceremony and the exhibition to be held in the Dubai World Trade Centre will be highlighted by speeches of Dr Thani bin Ahmed Al Zeyoudi, Minister of Climate Change & Environment; Mattar Al Tayer, Director-General and Chairman of the Board of Executive Directors of RTA and Masaki Ogata, president of the UITP and Vice Chairman of East Japan Railway Company. The exhibition comprises 85 stands of companies hailing from 16 countries displaying the latest developments in the transport industry.
Al Tayer welcomed attendees and participants to the congress and exhibition in the UAE, wishing them a nice stay in their second home and wishing the congress every success. “This is one of the major events of the public transport industry as it brings transport officials, policy makers, legislators, consultants, operators and manufacturers all under one roof to discuss visionary solutions for public transport issues. The event attracts the paramount attention of ministers, chairpersons, CEOs, consultants, experts and other decision makers from various spectrums of the transport industry in view of the massive upswing witnessed by cities of the region, steady increase in the population, and the dire need for providing integrated mass transit systems to ease the mobility of urban inhabitants,” he noted.
Autonomous Vehicle
The event will feature the trial run debut of the autonomous (driverless) vehicle with a capacity for 10 riders produced by Easy Mile/Omnix Company. The step is taken in implementation of the directives of His Highness Sheikh Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Vice-President and Prime Minister of the UAE and Ruler of Dubai, and Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Dubai Crown Prince and Chairman of the Executive Council, to transform Dubai into the smartest city worldwide. It also echoes RTA’s efforts to provide autonomous vehicles by carrying out tests on their technology in Dubai’s climatic conditions.
The vehicle is designed to travel short distances on pre-programmed routes and under multiple environments. The vehicle travels on virtual routes, which can easily be reset to accommodate sudden changes as required. The vehicle is fitted with all safety requisites and controls specifying its planned route, and the sensor system as well as the intelligent system of the vehicle enable coping with any obstacles encountered en route to avoid collision.
