Future of Tolling Infrastructure in the Middle East Region

Zeina Nazer, MSc P.E. MBA

Secretary General

ITS Arab

IBTTA 79th Annual Meeting

13 September 2011
Berlin, Germany
 Agenda
• The Middle East Context

• Current and future tolling infrastructures in the region

• Dubai Salik

• Abu Dhabi Congestion Charging

• BOT Toll road in Syria

• Qatar- Bahrain causeway

• Toll systems in Tunisia

• Toll systems in Turkey

• Conclusions and Recommendations

 The Middle East Context
• The Middle East has some of the highest population growth rates in the world,
with the UAE at the very top of that table.

• Based on the World Bank figures, the population in MENA has grown from
127 million in 1976 to 450 million just 40 years later. It is set to double again by
2050.

• There are over 22 separate economies in Middle East ranging from resource
rich states in the Gulf to populous but resource poor states in Africa

• The population explosion, concentration in cities, and generally undeveloped

public transport systems, mean that the road systems in most of the major
GCC cities have become heavily overloaded. This has an impact on economic
efficiency. Governments in the region recognise this and are developing plans
to tackle these challenges.
Tolling in the Middle East So Far...

Three models

Manual Toll Plaza:

 Egypt
 King Fahd Causeway (Saudi Arabia – Bahrain)
 Tunisia
 Morocco
Mixed: Open Road/ Automatic Card Payment/ Manual:
 Turkey OGS/ KGS/ Manual
 Qatar Bahrain Causeway
Open Road – Multi-lane Free Flow (MLFF)
 Dubai Salik
 Current Toll Roads in the Middle East

• Dubai RTA Salik – MLFF

• Egypt – Cairo/Alexandria Toll Road (upgrade from Manual to ETC)
• King Fahd Causeway linking Saudi Arabia to Bahrain (upgrade from
Manual to ETC)
• Tunisia Highways (more toll system on the South Highway tendered)
• Turkey Toll Road – mixed manual/ ETC/ MLFF
 Future Road Pricing in the Middle East

• Abu Dhabi Congestion Charging (Feasibility Study)

• Qatar – Bahrain Causeway (40km) (design phase ETC)
• Yemen – Djibouti Causeway (Feasibility Study)
• BOT Toll Road in Syria (linking Lebanon to Iraq and Turkey to
Jordan) (Feasibility Study)
• Kuwait 4th and 8th Ring Roads (currently being upgraded)
• Maghrebine Highway connecting Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia
• Turkish Toll Roads (Additional Toll Roads planned)
 Dubai Salik Free Flow System

• Increased demand on highways and road

network.
• Government constantly build larger roads,
widening some to as many as 16 lanes.
• Part funded by tolls: Dubai's Roads &
Transport Authority (RTA) introduced the
Salik electronic toll collection scheme in
July 2007.
• ETC has propelled Dubai towards regional
leadership in the use of Road User
Charging (RUC) to enable high-efficiency
charging in the urban environment
• Potentially, a best-in-class charging
scheme when the system reaches full
operational capability.
 Dubai Salik Free Flow System

• Dubai Salik (MLFF) 4 toll gates opened in July

2007 with 4 additional gates opened in
September 2008. More gates to be open
soon.
• Congestion Charging plans currently on hold.
 Dubai Salik Free Flow System

Key objectives of Salik toll system are to:

• Signal the cost of road usage
• encourage the use of public transport and funding its upgrade;
 Dubai Metro Phase I opened on 09/09/09
 recently modernised buses (improved schedule, bus stops and new vehicles)
 Abra water transport across Dubai Creek
• Increase adoption of carpooling,
• Increase operational efficiency of Sheikh Zayed road
• Reduce CO2 emissions and noise by reducing stop-start traffic.

“...Implementing RUC is perhaps the only sustainable approach to demand management

and an effective measure to encourage the adoption of other travel modes from the
addictive convenience of private motoring”.
 Dubai Salik lacks Public Acceptability

A road user charging scheme needs:

> Research and studies to identify a feasible business case, including clear social,
environmental and economic benefits.
> Public discussion in the media etc. to raise awareness of congestion problems and
road pricing as a possible solution.
> Legislation to enable charging and enforcement.
> Complementary measures including: improved traffic management, public transport,
car sharing, flexible working hours, etc.
> Pilots to make solution more tangible to road users and to reduce procurement risk.
> AND… a critical mass of stakeholder buy-in

“ when Charging for an existing road government authorities should help

road user recognize and measure the benefits of paying a charge.
 Abu Dhabi

• Projects (Ongoing)
- Develop tolling / cost recovery strategy
- Develop and implement Abu Dhabi -
Dubai Road (50Km)
- Identify priority measures to reduce
congestion, develop and implement
Congestion Management Plan
- Develop PPP guidelines and legal
framework for PPP
- Congestion Charging Feasibility in city
of Abu Dhabi already completed
 Abu Dhabi

Abu Dhabi Vision 2030

• Abu Dhabi Strategic Plan 2030 will provide an integrated road and
transportation system that will facilitate people and goods movement
while improving safety levels.

• The plan will address the current congestion problems, accommodating

future needs by increasing the share of public transportation, and
decreasing the over-dependence on private vehicles including building
MASDAR vehicle free city.

• Abu Dhabi higher quality transit (paid for by public funds) and discounts
for local residents – these serve to improve public acceptability for RUC
planned for the future.
 Abu Dhabi Vision 2030
(Extract from Vision 2030 Exec Summary: Transportation (p15-
16))
• Abu Dhabi Strategic Plan 2030 will provide an integrated road and
transportation system that will facilitate people and goods movement
while improving safety.

• The plan will address the current congestion problems,

accommodating future needs by increasing the share of public
transportation, and decreasing the over-dependence on private
vehicles.

• Abu Dhabi higher quality transit (paid for by public funds) and
discounts for local residents – these serve to improve public
acceptability for Road User Charging planned for the future.
Cairo- Alexandria Toll Road in Egypt

Source: Investment Roads Department – GARBLT, Egypt

 Cairo – Alexandria Toll Road, Egypt

Ministry of Transport and

Communications –
General Authority for Roads, Bridges
and Land Transport
Projects
1. Cairo to Alexandria toll road in
Egypt, currently based on manual cash
collection with plans to upgrade to
automatic toll system. GARBLT are
considering MLFF.

2. Cairo Ring Road (not constructed

yet)
BOT Toll Road in Syria
Linking Lebanon to Iraq and Turkey to Jordan
• Customer
Syrian Ministry of Transport
• Projects Axes 1 - Tartous-to-Al-Tanaf-Iraqi Borders:
An approximate length of 370km

- Initial development of corridor alignment Axes 2 - Syrian- Turkish Borders-to-Syrian-Jordanian

Borders:
An approximate length of 500km.
alternatives for each axes
- Development & Calibration of sketch
planning travel demand model (VISUM)
- Conducting studies on tariff collection
technologies to determine which is most
suitable for implementation in Syria
 Qatar–Bahrain Causeway (The Friendship Bridge)

GCC members took necessary measures to support, finance, and form joint
projects, both private and public, including the adoption of integrated economic
policies for transport infrastructure projects.
• A causeway linking Qatar and Bahrain – a
causeway linking Bahrain and Qatar. Currently on
hold, the construction will start in 2011 for
completion in 2015, at the cost of approximately $5
billion

• The link will cut the road journey time from five
hours to 30 minutes

• The causeway will be of significant economic benefit

to both states

• It would be the world’s longest, at 40 km, running

from Ras Ashairij in Qatar to Askar in Bahrain. Source: http://www.itbhu.org
Yemen – Djibouti Causeway (Bridge of the Horns)

Yemen and Djibouti Ministries of Transport

• Project:
- $25bn causeway between Africa and the Arabian peninsula crossing
the Red Sea at 29km wide1
- opening date is expected in 2020
- It is expected that about 100,000 cars and 50,000 rail passengers will
cross the bridge daily
 Algeria & Morocco
- Algeria $11.2 billion ''East - West'' highway (1200 Km) is considered the largest
public works project in the world. The project is a six-lane toll highway. It is being
developed along Algeria's borders with Morocco and Tunisia. It will connect
Algiers, Constantine, Oran, Annaba, Tlemcen and Setif. The development will
have 12 tunnels, 70 viaducts and 60 interchanges.
- Morocco has an extensive system of toll roads, recently built from Casablanca
connect all of Morocco major cities such as Marrakech, Rabat, and Tangier. ADM
runs the network
on a pay-per-use basis, with toll stations placed
along its length. ADM have plans to upgrade their current manual toll system.
-''Maghrebine highway'' connecting Morocco,
Algeria and Tunisia.
- Islamic Countries to Invest over the next 10
years $290 billion in Infrastructure projects
including toll-roads projects in Morocco and Malaysia financed by Islamic
Development Bank and the World Bank.
Toll system in Tunisia, Overview
Tunisia Highways
Projects
- Tunisia Highways are planning to grow their network from
currently 380 Km to 600Km
- Involved in the ''Maghrebine highway'' connecting Morocco,
Algeria and Tunisia.
- A1 Tunis-Sousse Motorway (upgrade)
- A4 Tunis-Bizerte Motorway
- A3 Motorway New toll system
- Highway of the South, working on the design and studies
phase (internal R&D unit of Tunisia Highways).

A complex legal definition : Fee for service, Tax, price… lots of

jurisprudence on the issue
- Only one highway operator : Tunisia Highways,
- Toll used to cover the cost of infrastructure financing
(construction, maintenance, operation and actually
environmental costs,
- Tunisian government has the decision in setting toll rates
Toll system in Tunisia, Overview

- Cash payment (manual), only by toll

operator in tollboths (No ACM),

- Automatic payment, in tollboths and

automatic card machine.

- Automatic combined (coin and smart

card).
Toll system in Tunisia, Challenges

- Introduction of the automatic payment machine,

- Cash and automatic payment on the same machine,

- All vehicles classes are supported (vehicles pre-classification),

- Standardization of the toll payment,

- Reducing the congestion and the time delay in the toll plazas.
Toll system in Turkey

OGS/ KGS/ Cash

Turkish Motorways and Bosphorus Bridges Income (Net) (2001-2010)
Turkish Motorways and Bosphorus Bridges Income (Net) (2011)
Turkish Motorways and Bosphorus Bridges
 Conclusions and Recommendations
Tolling in the Middle East region should be about:

• “Functionality, NOT technology”

• “Person-centric NOT vehicle-centric”
• Emphasizing the role of education and public information
• Being clear and transparent as to what happens to revenue
• Expect opposition to any scheme but understand that experience
suggests it will reduce over time
• Emphasizing the role of tolling and charging as part of a complete,
rounded package of transport schemes
• Emphasizing the role of tolling and charging in offering “Smart Choices”
 Conclusions and Recommendations

For the Middle East region to compete on a world stage in diversified

services and products, its success will depend on how well it can
package its roads investment opportunities as efficient operations
that allow people and goods to flow freely and sustainably.

This needs sufficient foresight to avoid the economic and

environmental consequences of congestion from which many
other countries now suffer.
Thank you

Zeina Nazer, MSc P.E. MBA

Secretary General
ITS Arab

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