Dubai’s new Salik road toll peak charges come into effect

The cost of driving through Dubai's Salik toll gates will increase during peak hours from Friday morning.

Motorists travelling during busy hours will pay Dh6, while the off-peak rate is Dh4.

The emirate's transport authority announced in November that the peak rates will apply mornings between 6am and 10am and evenings from 4pm to 8pm. Off-peak charges, between 10am and 4pm and from 8pm to 1am, will remain at Dh4.

The gates will be free to cross between 1am and 6am. The toll will also be Dh4 on Sundays, excluding public holidays, special occasions or major events.

The rates will remain the same during Ramadan, however the timings will be slightly different. The peak hours during the holy month will be from 9am to 5pm, with off-peak hours being from 7am to 9am and 5pm to 2am.

The gates will be free to cross between 2am and 7am during Ramadan.

Two new Salik gates in Dubai – at the Business Bay Crossing on Al Khail Road and at Al Safa South on Sheikh Zayed Road – were activated in November, which took the number of toll gates in the emirate to 10.

How do the new Salik fees work?

The emirate's transport authority said peak rates will apply between 6am to 10am and 4pm to 8pm. Off-peak charges are between 10am and 4pm and from 8pm to 1am will remain at Dh4.

The gates will be free to cross between 1am and 6am. The toll will also be Dh4 on Sundays, excluding public holidays, special occasions or major events.

The variable rates will start at the end of January.

Why Dubai introduced toll gates?

The Salik system was introduced in 2007 to ease traffic congestion, raise state revenue and encourage residents to use public transport. The first two gates came up in Gharoud and Barsha, with Safa and Maktoum bridge gates added a year later. In 2013, three gates were introduced at Airport tunnel, and two at Mamzar – south and north. In 2018, the Jebel Ali gate was introduced.

Motorists are charged to pass through each gate, with the amount deducted automatically from tags fixed to vehicle windscreens. The tags can be purchased online or at service stations, and topped up online or through recharge cards.

The toll gates:

- Al Barsha

- Al Garhoud

- Al Maktoum

- Al Mamzar South

- Al Mamzar North

- Al Safa

- Al Safa (South)

- Airport Tunnel

- Jebel Ali

- Business Bay

Penalties

Every vehicle must have a Salik tag, with new vehicle owners given 10 days to install and activate one.

Passing through Salik gates without a tag will incur a fine of Dh100 for the first offence, Dh200 for the second offence and Dh400 every time after that.

There’s currently no daily cap on Salik, with every gate currently charging a fee of Dh4 every single time a vehicle passes through.