Dubai’s network of cycle lanes will be expanded by up to 50km each year as part of the effort of the city’s administration to promote physical activity.
During the third edition of the Dubai International Physical Activity Forum on Tuesday, authorities and community gathered to focus on the importance of sports activities and engaging in regular exercise for better health.
Sedentary life and physical inactivity largely contribute to certain types of cancers, diabetes, obesity, and heart disease. But according to new statistics presented on the forum, there’s good news for Dubai future – physical activity in Dubai has increased with nearly 6 percent compared to last year. According to Dubai Sports Council (DSC), 41.9 percent of the population in Dubai is engaged in some type of physical activity, while last year, only 36 percent said they were physically active. The study was conducted in partnership with the Dubai Statistics Centre.
DSC has launched and helped opening over 500 public and private sporting facilities aimed at promoting fitness culture among Dubai residents. Another strategy is the plan for a large network of cycle lanes which is in collaboration with municipality and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). The project includes building of 50 kilometers of cycle tracks in Dubai each year which will greatly benefit the sporting infrastructure. RTA plans to build a total of 558 km of cycle lanes in urban areas and the first phase will consist of 30km of lanes along Jumeirah Beach Road. Nasser Abu Shehab, RTA’s director of strategic planning, revealed that these bike routes will be linked to Metro stations in order to be more convenient for people.
The Dubai Roadsters cycling group is supporting the project, hoping that cycling in Dubai will gain more popularity. Director of parks and horticulture at Dubai Municipality, Ahmed Abdulkarim, said at the forum that while 10 years ago sporting facilities were too far from residential areas, now people are feeling more comfortable and safe visiting fitness studios and gyms close to their homes.
