City also ranks sixth globally for shared mobility penetration, along with Abu Dhabi.
A worldwide annual study found that Dubai topped the Middle East and Africa in terms of its readiness for urban mobility.
A forward-looking ranking of 57 quantitative and qualitative key performance indicators (KPIs) that measure social impact, infrastructure, market attractiveness, system efficiency, and innovation makes up the index of 60 cities created by the Oliver Wyman Forum and the University of California, Berkeley Institute of Transportation Studies (ITS).
According to the findings, key engines of economic vitality and environmental sustainability are effective and equitable mobility networks. The number of car-free zones, adoption of autonomous vehicles, and affordability and ridership of public transportation are some of the other measures included in the overall Index.
Dubai currently ranks 30th worldwide, up from 32 in 2021. Based on a variety of KPIs, each city receives a rating out of 100. Dubai ranks higher than the global average of 54%, while the Middle East average is 47%, with a ranking of 58%.
The Middle East’s low score for using non-motorized transportation is due to the region’s preference for cars, according to the report. However, the region’s general high penetration of shared mobility services like car-sharing helps to reduce congestion. For shared mobility penetration, Dubai and Abu Dhabi shared the sixth spot worldwide.
The report also emphasizes Dubai’s institutional support for innovative mobility models, its position as a major aviation hub, and its investment in scooter-sharing pilots. The city is also developing a leading package of public transportation, complete with a mature multimodal app. This system includes the city-wide metro, which is one of the largest automated metro systems in the world. However, the region’s geographical spread and summer temperatures continue to be challenges.
Although Abu Dhabi, the capital of the United Arab Emirates, dropped one spot from 36th place in 2021 to 37th place in 2022, the city was ranked first globally for traffic fluidity (in terms of how well the mobility network run by the municipal government enables this) and second for the affordability of public transportation. The report also mentioned that the city is working hard to reduce traffic accidents by controlling driving speeds, making public transportation more appealing, and announcing EV infrastructure policies that emphasize technology investment.
According to partner André Martins, who is also the head of transport services and operations for India, the Middle East, and Africa, Dubai and the UAE as a whole are ingrained in the culture of trying out novel concepts and technologies.
“We’ve already seen so much change in the past few decades – the UAE is building walkable neighborhoods and has managed to keep traffic flowing and people moving in the face of incredible growth,” “The Emirates will likely be used in the future as a case study in how to pilot new solutions – from the testing of autonomous corridors to the smart monitoring of traffic and driving behavior,” and “We’ve already seen so much change in the past few decades.”
Dubai’s population was 850,000 in 2000; it is now about 3.5 million, and it is expected to reach 5.8 million by 2040. As the nation continues to enhance its tourism and aviation infrastructure, there has also been an increase in the number of tourists. As a result of this influx, the UAE’s operations will be more adaptable and able to plan for the future, which will be beneficial to the nation as mobility trends continue to evolve,” Martins stated.
Jeddah and Riyadh ranked among the top five most improved cities in the region in the 2022 ranking. Jeddah dropped from 58 to 51 spots, while Riyadh dropped from 54th in 2021 to 49th in 2022. According to the report, the cities’ current rise in rankings is likely to continue due to significant investments in innovation and mass transit.
