November 14th, 2009

ABU DHABI - Transport planners are bringing back American experts to help set up a 100-bus park-and-ride system for fans attending matches in next month’s Fifa Club World Cup.

In a bid to repeat the logistics of the Abu Dhabi Grand Prix, the Department of Transport (DoT) is looking to use a similar system to the one used to ferry Formula One fans to and from Yas Island.

“That type of support was so effective that we want to stick with it,” a DoT source said yesterday.

It will be only the second time that Abu Dhabi has hired outside experts to manage event traffic.

While the Formula One park-and-ride programme involved 250 buses and coaches, the Fifa event would need only about half as many, the source said.

Precise locations for the park-and-ride have yet to be announced, but they will be near Mohammed bin Zayed Stadium and Zayed Sports City.

Hiring private transport specialists is a new strategy that the DoT hopes will become commonplace.

Local traffic specialists agreed that engaging experts from outside could help prevent gridlock. Roger Cruickshank, the manager of transport planning at the consultancy Atkins in Dubai, attributed the smooth grand prix operations in part to the decision to hire US-based Transportation Management Services (TMS). “Having people who are used to [managing traffic] is one big thing that made a difference,” Mr Cruickshank said.

Kevin O’Connor, chief operating officer for TMS, said, “We’ve had several staff [in Abu Dhabi] for a couple of months doing planning and that team will grow as we approach the actual matches.”

With Abu Dhabi more frequently playing host to international events and attracting top entertainment acts, traffic management is a pressing concern.

Fans attending events in December, such as the Creamfields dance festival and concerts by the pop star Rihanna and the rock band The Killers, could also benefit from outside transport help, the DoT source said.

“Everywhere else in the world for special events, they use a special events logistics team,” he said. “We’re now firm believers that this approach is a winner.”

Special logistics teams are not the norm in Abu Dhabi, said Kailash Tiwari, a principal transport engineer for KEO International.

“The events people might have good experience with event planning and organisation, but do they know specifically about traffic planning?” he said.

“These events are increasing, but [promoters] rely on police. Police are for enforcement, not for traffic planning.”

Traffic engineers noted previous problems at venues for major events, including inadequate car-park lighting, too few entry and exit points and the lack of a suitable venue for large-scale concerts.

The Emirates Palace, for instance, was intended as a hotel rather than a concert venue, said Jim Lynn, the director of UAE transport for Hyder, an engineering consultancy.

The hotel grounds have hosted a concert by Coldplay and will be the venue for The Killers.

Mr Lynn said a “purpose-built venue away from the gridlocked city” would be more suitable than the hotel. The Ferrari World arena on Yas Island is one such location.

The DoT source acknowledged that the locations of the stadiums for the Fifa event posed a challenge, as they were a fixed part of Abu Dhabi’s urban structure.

“In the evenings, when those games are on, you’ll have the general populace who aren’t interested in football going about their general activities,” he said.

However, he was confident that proper planning would ensure smooth transit for supporters.

“These events are vital for our image in Abu Dhabi, and with the eyes of the world on this city, there was no chance we were going to make a mistake with our transport. That’s what we’re about.”