Latest news with #MobilityLive
Arab News
02-07-2025
- Automotive
- Arab News
Hankook Tire participates in ‘Mobility Live 2025'
Global tire company Hankook Tire and Technology participated in Mobility Live Middle East 2025, the region's premier mobility exhibition, held from June 24 to 25 at the Dubai World Trade Center. Mobility Live Middle East 2025 is the region's largest mobility exhibition, centered around the future of transportation — including electric vehicles, smart infrastructure, and sustainable public transit. This year's event brought together more than 10,000 experts, 1,000 VIP buyers, and over 250 participating brands, offering insights into future market trends. Making its second consecutive appearance at the event, Hankook Tire reinforced its leadership in world-class EV tire technology. At its booth, the company showcased its premium EV product lineup tailored for Middle Eastern driving environments. Featured products included the 'iON' brand — the world's first full lineup of EV-exclusive tires — comprising the high-performance 'iON evo,' the summer tire 'iON GT,' and the 'e-SMART City AU56' for electric buses. In particular, the iON evo was recognized for its outstanding braking and handling performance, earning the top ranking in a recent tire comparison test conducted by Auto Bild, an automotive magazine in Germany. The e-SMART City AU56, a truck and bus radial tire, offers optimized mileage performance compared to previous models. It incorporates advanced tread block technology to deliver improved grip and extended tread life. 'Hankook Tire continues to strengthen its premium brand presence and expand its footprint in the Middle East EV tire market through a range of strategic initiatives,' said Jongwoo Kim, head of Hankook Tire's Middle East and Asia division. 'Mobility Live provided an exceptional platform to showcase the innovation behind our 'iON' brand, which leads the way in promoting sustainability in the future mobility sector through the use of advanced eco-friendly materials.' He added, 'In line with the UAE's vision to accelerate EV adoption and its broader sustainability goals under the UAE Net Zero 2050 strategy, our participation in Mobility Live highlights our commitment to supporting the region's clean mobility transformation. We are also reviewing Vision 2030 roadmaps set by each ESG steering committee to re-evaluate our current position and establish a refreshed mid- to long-term strategy for the decade ahead.'
Time of India
01-07-2025
- Automotive
- Time of India
Why cameras can't fix UAE's distracted driving crisis, according to experts
Experts at Mobility Live call for awareness to improve road safety in the UAE. (Photo: Pixabay) Despite the presence of hundreds of traffic enforcement cameras across the UAE, experts say that technology alone cannot curb the growing crisis of distracted driving. Speaking at the recent Mobility Live event in Dubai, leading road safety professionals emphasized the urgent need to address driver psychology and community behavior to bring about real change. Technology is Not Enough: Understanding Driver Psychology The UAE is heavily equipped with surveillance infrastructure aimed at reducing road violations. In Abu Dhabi alone, there are more than 800 enforcement cameras. However, experts caution that such measures are not enough. 'There are more than 800 enforcement cameras all over Abu Dhabi but from my experience, cameras and enforcement are not enough,' said Mohammed Kishta, traffic safety engineering expert at Integrated Transport Centre (ITC) Abu Dhabi. 'You need to teach drivers the reason why they have to be safe behind the wheel.' Dr. Mustafa Aldah, Founder of MA Traffic Consulting, added that Dubai is similarly equipped with over 600 speed cameras, along with other enforcement tools. However, the core issue, he said, is human negligence. 'Human beings were careless when driving,' Dr. Mustafa stated. Mobile Phones: The Leading Cause of Distraction Experts across the panel unanimously agreed that mobile phone usage remains the most dangerous form of distraction for drivers. 'Distractions are of three kinds, visual, physical and cognitive,' explained Faisal Mustafa, Team Leader of Road Safety at WSP in the Middle East. 'Mobile phones have all three distractions.' The consequences of this issue are severe. According to official data revealed earlier this year, distracted driving was the number one cause of road fatalities in 2024, resulting in 384 deaths across the country. Sumaya Al Neyadi, Section Head of Traffic Safety at ITC, stressed the wider impact of these incidents. 'Distracted driving is the number one cause of road fatalities around the world,' she said. 'When there's a fatal accident, it doesn't just impact the police or emergency services. All agencies including the Department of Health, hospitals, police, and Civil Defence must respond. So, everyone should come together to find solutions.' She emphasized that public education is critical. 'We need more awareness campaigns so that drivers understand the dangers of distraction. We need to help them become aware of what happens after an accident.' Infrastructure and Early Education Also Play a Role Beyond driver behavior, experts also pointed to external factors such as city planning and road conditions that may unintentionally contribute to distracted driving. Faisal Mustafa noted that 'even city design, confusing traffic lights, and flawed infrastructure can be sources of distraction.' He added that regular road audits are carried out across the UAE to identify and correct such issues. One often-overlooked factor, according to Faisal, is parental influence on children. 'A study done in Australia shows that children as young as four, sitting in the backseat, begin learning driving behaviours from their parents,' he said. 'If the parents are talking on the phone and driving distracted, their children are more likely to adopt those habits when they grow up.' Education from an early age was another key recommendation. Dr. Mohammed Shawky, Professor of Traffic Engineering at Ain Shams University, said, 'If you want a culture shift in road safety, you need to target children early.' He cited research showing that 'children who receive road safety lessons urge their parents to stop only in designated areas and disembark more safely.' Road Safety as a Public Health Priority Dr. Mustafa concluded the panel with a powerful reminder: 'Road safety needs to be treated just like cancer or heart disease if we want to reduce fatality rates significantly.' The call from experts is clear, while enforcement through cameras and fines plays a role, true change will only come through education, behavioral awareness, and a cultural shift that views road safety as a shared responsibility.
Time of India
27-06-2025
- Time of India
Will Dubai's 20-minute city vision melt under extreme summer heat? Is there a plan?
Dubai is testing climate-controlled zones and shaded walkways to make its 20-minute city vision viable even during extreme summer heat (Representative Image) Dubai is pushing forward with its ambitious goal of building '20-minute cities': neighborhoods where residents can access 80% of their daily needs, such as work, school, shops, and parks, within a 20-minute walk, bike ride, or public transport trip. This urban planning concept is a cornerstone of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan and is already being realized through projects like the Model District in Al Barsha 2. Currently under construction. The goal is to reduce reliance on private vehicles by building compact, mixed-use communities that encourage local living. This means people will be able to live, work, study, and relax all within a 20-minute radius of their homes. A key metric in the plan is ensuring that 55 percent of Dubai's residents live within 800 meters of a mass transit station, enabling them to reach 80 percent of their essential destinations with ease. The broader objective is to create smarter urban layouts that promote well-being, cut down on traffic congestion, and make everyday life more convenient for everyone, whether in newly developed areas or eventually in older neighborhoods as well. However, despite the well-thought-out design, one major challenge stands in the way: Dubai's extreme summer heat. How Expo City is Tackling the Heat At Expo City Dubai, planners are leading the experimentation with adaptive solutions for year-round mobility, especially during the sweltering summer months. 'In the winter, people are encouraged to walk,' explained Ivan Kyselov, Senior Manager of City Operations at Expo City Dubai, during his presentation at Mobility Live, a global event hosted at the venue that brings together experts in smart transport and mobility solutions. 'It's an experience and we promote it by activating the spaces around the walking routes. If you paint something on the pathway, kids will just simply play and walk these 15 minutes. Adults are the same. So we add an interactive element of architecture and urban development as a pit stop,' he added. To enhance accessibility and comfort, Expo City Dubai is adopting a flexible, seasonal approach: In winter: Encouraging walking through interactive, engaging spaces In summer: Introducing climate-adapted solutions such as: Climate-responsive urban design such as enclosed cool spaces Shaded walking routes Smart mobility hubs for bicycles and e-scooters Electric vehicles to support inclusive and multi-modal mobility Kyselov noted these innovations are essential to maintaining multimodality, inclusivity, and accessibility throughout the year, especially in Dubai's harsh climate. Don't Forget the Old Neighborhoods While new developments like Expo City are important, experts emphasized the importance of upgrading older districts to align with the 20-minute city model. Martin Tillman, a transport mobility planning expert, told Mobility Live attendees that regenerating aging urban areas should be a top priority. 'We have to help regenerate the old city,' he said. 'It's somewhat easier to go to a new field or site and to say this is how we're going to move forward. It's a little more difficult to go into something that's already existing and work on it because it doesn't have the parking provision or a rail network.' Tillman believes the effort is worth it: 'The reward is significant,' he said. 'Typically the previously planned cities were planned on the basis of better access for pedestrians and for people cycling. They tended to have better shape and were better coded for the day-to-day realities of living here in the Middle East. I think that's crucial and the idea of leaving that to decay is completely wrong.' Sustaining the Vision: Making 20-Minute Cities Work in the Real World With the Dubai 2040 Master Plan already underway, and projects like the Al Barsha 2 Model District and Expo City setting examples, the emirate is clearly committed to evolving its urban fabric. The idea of 20-minute cities offers: Reduced traffic congestion Improved quality of life Lower carbon emissions Greater walkability and livability But success depends heavily on addressing climate realities, particularly by incorporating climate-controlled zones and adaptive infrastructure to keep residents comfortable and mobile year-round. If Dubai succeeds, it won't just have redefined city living in the Gulf, it may also set a new benchmark for sustainable urban planning in hot climates globally.
The National
26-06-2025
- Business
- The National
How Dubai's 20-minute city ambitions are becoming reality
Dubai's 20-minute city ambitions are a 'reality in the making' as the Metro expansion, alongside the promotion of walking, cycling and greener spaces help to change perceptions of urban life, experts say. The UAE can also learn from older cities' mistakes by dispensing with legacy systems to reimagine a new world. The topic was in sharp focus at the Mobility Live Middle East and Middle East Rail conferences which took place side by side on Tuesday and Wednesday in Dubai. While the 20-minute city concept is not new – European cities have been built based on people being close to services – the term has been coined for a new generation of urban planning. It is typically used to refer to having key daily needs – work, services, schools and shops – within a 20-minute radius and accessible without having to use a car. Martin Tillman, a founder of transport consultancy TMP Consult, said the shorter these distances are, the better in the Gulf summer, and the move towards this in Dubai is a 'reality in the making'. 'You've got a huge part of the population that needs to walk or cycle to get around the cities and they don't have the luxury of having an air-conditioned environment. Not everyone can afford a taxi,' he said. 'We can make it more comfortable with shading and misting and other features.' Closer look at Dubai Metro's Blue Line expansion Sources of inspiration High-density developments are important in this regard. Cities such as Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala Lumpur in Malaysia use them effectively and incorporate public transport, walking and cycling infrastructure. Gulf cities can look to these for inspiration, and Dubai's Sustainable City, with its car-free streets, emphasis on sustainable transport and access to shops, reflects some of the components of the 20-minute city. Expo City Dubai, with its focus on cyclists and pedestrians, is another example. Dubai's 2040 urban master plan incorporates the concept and a 20-minute model city being built in Al Barsha 2. Dubai is also set to transform into a more pedestrian-friendly city with more than 3,000km of new walkways in plans announced in December. A larger challenge for planners is to incorporate schools and workplaces, and this is where high density also plays a role in the 20-minute city. 'The lower the density, the harder that process is to put in place,' said Mr Tillman, referring to how people drive to schools and workplaces if they are farther away. 'The higher the density, the easier it is to put in. Here, people like big, separate low-density residential developments but we're slowly moving away from that.' Mr Tillman said the weather is another reason to build higher-density developments. 'We try to make sure that those distances that need to be covered are climate-sensitive … to make it possible for people to walk, cycle and use sustainable transport for as long as possible.' He said many new developments are trying to include sustainable elements. Richard van den Dool, vice president of charge at Enrx, a green technology company based in Denmark, said his vision is about reclaiming the streets for people rather than cars. 'Cities that do it well make more public transport, reduce parking spots and create greener areas and make it liveable again,' he said. 'They want people back living in the city.' Impact of public transport Dubai's roads are still often congested amid a continued population expansion and the car's continuing allure. That is where better public transport comes in. Dubai's huge expansion of the Metro, the revamped and extended bus network and the UAE's forthcoming Etihad Rail passenger service could have a huge impact, creating developments around stations, cutting congestion and boosting the 20-minute city push. The Dubai Metro Blue Line will connect major existing and new residential districts, while an Etihad Rail station is being built at the heart of the Jumeirah Golf Estates expansion. 'We have a golden opportunity to intensify development around new stations,' said Mr Tillman. 'The key here is to make sure that Etihad Rail is not a standalone train system and Dubai Metro is not a standalone. We must make sure these are integrated.' Mr van den Dool, whose company works in inductive heating, charging and power transfer, said his vision was one of mobility where electrified cars, scooters or buses can be charged using infrastructure built into clutter-free streets. 'How would it look if all those cars needed to have a cable? It will be a spider web of poles and cables,' he said. Instead, his company's technology is already used in Europe to charge buses on wireless inductive plates at bus stops, for example, removing the need for fixed-point charging. He said it is feasible for an entire city's bus network to run on such a system. Dubai's Roads and Transport Authority has also tested wireless charging of electric vehicles and buses. Mr van den Dool said Dubai and the UAE had an opportunity to learn from legacy cities and not repeat the mistakes older cities made. 'They can be the showcase for the rest of the world,' he said. 'Call it the 15 or 20-minute city or whatever … it's about where we want to be in 10 years from now.'
Time of India
25-06-2025
- Business
- Time of India
How Dubai's 20 minute city plans to keep you walking; even in 45°C heat
Dubai's ambitious "20-minute city" concept, part of the Dubai 2040 Urban Master Plan, aims to place essential services, transit, and leisure facilities within a 20-minute walk, cycle, or scooter ride for residents. However, the city's sweltering summer temperatures significantly hinder this vision. At Expo City Dubai , officials are pioneering solutions to beat the heat. Ivan Kyselov, Senior Manager of City Operations, told Mobility Live attendees that shaded walkways, interactive pit stops, and electric shuttles are being introduced to make short journeys bearable, even inviting. 'In the winter, people are encouraged to walk … in the summer, we add climate-controlled zones,' he said. Also Read: Singapore tightens rules on crypto startups, Dubai rolls out the red carpet; what investors must know before they jump in by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like War Thunder - Register now for free and play against over 75 Million real Players War Thunder Play Now Undo These interventions include enclosed cooled spaces to offer relief during transit, smart mobility hubs for e-scooters and bicycles, and electric vehicles to ensure constant connectivity across zones. Live Events While new districts like Al Barsha 2 are being built specifically for 20-minute living, retrofitting older areas remains crucial. Transport mobility expert Martin Tillman noted that transforming established neighbourhoods is tougher, but essential: they often already have pedestrian-ready layouts that shouldn't be lost to urban decay. Dubai's goal is to ensure that over 55% of residents live within 800 meters of a transit station and can meet 80% of their daily needs within a short walk or ride. Achieving this in summer demands climate-sensitive solutions, shade, air-conditioned hubs, and carefully designed pathways. Dubai's summer climate routinely exceeds 40 °C, with humidity pushing 'feels-like' temperatures close to 45 °C. The heat not only discourages walking and cycling but also poses health risks and threatens to undermine years of planning and investment.
