Abu Dhabi’s population reached 5.4 million by 2040, but will not lead the traffic crisis: experts explain why. world News

Since Abu Dhabi’s population is estimated to increase by 2040 to 5.4 million, anxiety about potential traffic chaos may seem unavoidable. However, transport experts say that Emirates has not only prepared for this development, but can actually see a rush of low traffic over time, thanks to its active plan.Talking to the local media outlet Khaleej Times, the founder and managing director of Road Sefetya, Thomas Edelman offered an optimistic approach. According to Edelman, Abu Dhabi has “a very good understanding to deal with increased traffic, which is the result of the increased population.”He pointed to the global congestion ranking data released in January by a traffic analytics company INRIX, which supports this approach. The report showed that in 2023, the average driver in Abu Dhabi spent only 19 hours of traffic for the whole year, making it one of the lowest congested cities worldwide. In comparison, drivers in Dubai spent 71 hours in traffic during the same period.“So, Abu Dhabi is still doing a great work,” he said.
Plan for Development: Infrastructure and Technology in Sink
Edelman stated that the crowd is not just an urban problem, it is an average result of urban planning, and Abu Dhabi has constantly proved himself to align the development of infrastructure with the future demand.He said, “They will align the efforts to increase the infrastructure of the road, which to increase the technology implemented. They have proved that in the past, they will continue to do so,” he said.A major part of Abu Dhabi’s strategy is the integration of Smart Technology and Artificial Intelligence (AI) in urban planning. By running the AI-in-operated simulation, planners can guess where new houses will be built and how it will affect traffic flow.“Artificial Intelligence in this context definitely plays a big role in urban planning,” said Edelman. “Therefore, simulation will be run to understand where the creation and expansion of the infrastructure of the Emirates residence. And as a result, traffic currents will be originally shown, and they will be taken into consideration to plan and expand the existing road infrastructure.”
Push for Non-road-based mass transit
While the current system performs well, public hunger for large -scale transport that does not depend on roads is rapidly growing.Edelman said, “The ongoing expansion of the public transport system, the public mass transportation system, which should not be ideally road-bound, tops the UAE Road users’ wishlist list.”Passengers are looking for rail-even options like metro and trains to reduce road traffic. Although Abu Dhabi does not currently have a metro system, there is a previous discussion about starting rail services which are complementary to its current bus and taxi network.This ambition aligns with a wide UAE vision of reducing car dependence and investing in durable and efficient public transit options.
Comparison with other Emirates
While Dubai and Sharjah often make headlines for traffic issues, Edelman believes that Abu Dhabi is different.“Abu Dhabi has been blessed in a way. We have data that were not published about traffic long ago. It is one of the safest capital cities in the world. You know the hurdles in the UAE, and Abu Dhabi is not one of them. Therefore, I do not overcome any effect, ”he said.He concluded with a firm support of transport management of Emirates:“It is very appropriate to assume that they will be at the top of the events. I think there is a very strong message of Abu Dhabi officials who are actually very, very good grip that is happening, in the past and what has happened in the future.”