Metro Is On Track To Cut Greenhouse Gas (NAPSA)—As America contin- ues to drive down the environmental costs of motor vehicles, many are looking at some unique innovations overseas for new and green answers. For instance, congestion pric- ing—a system in cities such as London, where cars are charged a fee for driving into thecity at traffic-packed times of day—gained a number of supporters in the states, as did pushes for improving mass transit systems. One of the newest and most efficient models, the Dubai Metro, is expected to take just three years to build, but is slated to be the longest fully automated metro system in the world. When it is completed in 2009, the 103.2-mile, 57-station system will connect some of Dubai’s most famous landmarks and centers of industry—including the Burj Dubai Tower, slated to be the tallest building in the world; the American University in Dubai; the Emirates Towers, two of Dubai’s major landmarks and industry hubs; and several terminals of the Dubai International Airport. The Metro will also feature an innovative “Park and Ride” policy that would give commuters free parking spaces if they use the Metro system to get to downtown Dubai. “The goal is to not only deal with the issue of traffic, but the very important and very current issues of limiting pollution and i ed = ei a Dubai is building what will one day be the world’s longestfully automated metro. promoting environmental conservation,” says Mater Al Tayer, the executive director of Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA). Additionally, the system will offer riders a modern aesthetic. The stations are slated to be designed after the four elements of the universe: air, land, fire and water. With the population expected to exceed 3 million in the next 10 years, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, prime minister and vice president of the United Arab Emirates and ruler of Dubai, proposed the mass transit rail system to eliminate the coming congestion. And although the system is still in the process of being completed, its innovations have already attracted international attention: In June 2008, a group from Brazil’s Department of Transportation visited Dubai to survey and learn about the Metro.
