Abu Dhabi - The system will be active from October 15, 2019.
Published: Thu 25 Jul 2019, 12:00 AM
Updated: Sat 27 Jul 2019, 10:22 AM
Abu Dhabi's Department of Transport (DoT) on Thursday (July 25) officially announced the implementation of the new electronic toll collection system similar to Dubai, which will see all motorists entering and going out Abu Dhabi Island pass through the toll gates. (Photos: Four locations in Abu Dhabi where you have to pay toll)
The announcement was made during a press conference on Thursday.
The system will be active from October 15, 2019.
Earlier this week, viral messages had been floating around on social media, indicating that the toll gates system would soon be implemented in Abu Dhabi.
According to the DoT, toll gate system is aimed at encouraging the public to use Abu Dhabi's public transport network, to reduce the use of private vehicles and to encourage carpooling by company employees and even family members.
Toll gates and charges
Four toll gates will be implemented in Abu Dhabi during October at the following locations:
Al Maqta bridge, Musafah bridge, Sheikh Zayed bridge and Sheikh Khalifa bridge.
Toll will be Dh4 for peak hours (7am to 9am, and 5pm to 7pm) and Dh2 for non-peak hours.
On Fridays and public holidays, the toll will be charged at Dh2 throughout the day.
The toll collection system is a 24/7 continuous process, with a daily maximum fee of Dh16 per vehicle.
Unlike the Salik system in Dubai, in Abu Dhabi, vehicles passing through the toll gates will be identified by their plate number without having to stick a tag on their windshield.
Motorists will pay for toll gates through e-payment machines distributed across the emirate.
The amount due will be automatically deducted from a prepaid user account (the Integrated Electronic Payment wallet).
All road users should open a special toll account to manage their own vehicles and process payments due through a simple, user-friendly online system.
All Abu Dhabi registered vehicles on the official system registration launch, August 30, 2019, will have automatically registered accounts at no charge.
Account holders will automatically receive an SMS message stating their user-name and password for that account, and can then add any additional vehicles to the registered account as required.
For vehicles registered outside Abu Dhabi, the owner must be registered in the system before crossing the toll gates.
In case a vehicle which is not registered in the toll gate system crosses under the toll gates, the user will be given a grace period of ten business days, starting from the crossing time, to register in the system, otherwise a fine applies.
Fines
Users must have sufficient credit in their account when crossing the toll gate system. Vehicles registered in Abu Dhabi may pay the toll fee according to the post-payment system during any vehicle licensing procedure in case of insufficient balance.
For vehicles registered outside Abu Dhabi with insufficient credit available in their user account, drivers have five business days to top up the account, otherwise a fine will apply as per the regulations.
Traffic fines for crossing the toll gate with a non-registered vehicle, after the ten working days grace period, will be Dh100 for the first day, Dh200 for the second day, and Dh400 for the third day, up to a maximum of Dh10,000.
Crossing under the toll gates without sufficient balance in the user's account for vehicles registered outside Abu Dhabi and after the grace period deadline, will result in a fine of Dh50 incurred each day.
In case users tamper with the vehicle's license plate for the explicit purpose of evading the payment of fees, the fine is Dh10,000. Additionally, causing damage to any e-payment machines or toll gates, will result in a fine of Dh10,000.
Ambulances, Armed Forces and Civil Defence vehicles, public buses, taxis licensed in Abu Dhabi, school buses, police and Ministry of Interior vehicles, trailers and motorcycles will be exempted from the toll system.
Electric vehicles will also be exempted from toll fees for two years from the date of activating the system.
Vehicle owners must always keep the information on their license plates visible and clear at all times to ensure correct data-reading by the system. They must update their personal and vehicle information in the account in the event of any changes occurring to that data within five business days.
The Decree
The President, His Highness Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, had in 2017, issued a decree to introduce the toll traffic system to ease traffic on Abu Dhabi roads.
According to the decree, the Department of Transport (DoT) will be responsible for implementing the decree and determine areas to set up the toll gates, its timings and toll fees.
Law No. 17 of 2017 states that the DoT's Integrated Transport Centre's toll system will monitor every vehicle that passes through the designated tolled areas. The DoT will collect the toll fees.
The fifth article of the decree states: "Car owners should register in the new toll system and follow the rules and regulations specified by the DoT prior to passing through the tolled areas."
If a person is found guilty of toll evasion, a fine not exceeding Dh10,000 will be imposed on the violator. The total fines should not exceed Dh25,000 one year after the first offence.
Dubai introduced Salik in 2007
Dubai had implemented an automated toll collection system called Salik in 2007. The scheme, which means 'clear and moving' in Arabic, consists of seven toll gates set up around the city.
ismail@khaleejtimes.com
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