Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) has unveiled a plan to build a new traffic control centre at Al Barsha to cover the road network in the area.

The RTA will also be expanding the use of cameras and smart technologies like mobile cameras to monitor traffic movement, it said in a statement.

Under the plan, the authority will also use mobile and virtual messaging signs (VMS) to inform road users about traffic conditions, especially during emergencies or when construction works are underway on roads. These signs will be powered by solar panels and fitted with LED lights.

The announcement came following an inspection tour by RTA Director-General and Chairman Mattar Al Tayer of the Deira Traffic Systems Control Centre. During the tour, Al Tayer reviewed the technologies introduced at the centre, such as virtual messaging signs which cover roads like the Sheikh Zayed Road, Emirates Road, and Ittihad Road, in addition to the Al Maktoum and Al Garhoud Bridges, and Al Shindagha and Airport Tunnels.

The system calculates the volume of traffic congestion on main roads and highways, and detects abnormal traffic patterns such as accidents and vehicle breakdowns on roads. It also computes the trip times on roads after analysing inputs captured by onsite devices such as sensors, mobile traffic surveillance cameras, and photo analysis cameras.