Construction work is set to begin on a new stretch of cycle track spanning 16 kilometres along Jumeirah Beach in Dubai. Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, on Saturday posted a video on Twitter unveiling the track. Once complete, it will connect the existing Jumeirah Street cycle track – parallel to the canal – with the cycle track alongside Dubai Internet City. The construction of the new path is part of a Dh400 million ($108m) strategy to make cycling safer in the emirate. "We have a plan that will add 276 kilometres [of track], bringing the total length of bicycle paths in Dubai to 739km by 2026," Sheikh Hamdan said. “We [want to] provide all [transport] alternatives to make our society healthy and maintain a sustainable environment.” The first section of the track will be four metres wide and run alongside the existing jogging and walking tracks that extend from Dubai Water Canal to Umm Suqeim Park. The second will be three metres wide and run alongside Jumeirah Street and King Salman bin Abdul Aziz Al Saud Street, up to Dubai Internet City. It will serve several visitor hotspots, including: Sunset Mall, Open Beach, Dubai Sailing Club, Kite Beach, Umm Suqeim Park, and Burj Al Arab. "The public can use the track for cycling alongside a beach that boasts a variety of service facilities," said Mattar Al Tayer, director general of the Roads and Transport Authority. "They can also benefit from the shared bike services available at the Sunset Mall, Al Manara Mosque and Umm Suqeim Park. "The speed limit set for this track is 20 kilometres per hour and is classified among mobility, sports and leisure tracks." The Dubai Bicycle-Friendly City Strategy 2025 features 18 initiatives to improve the quality of life for residents. The main focus is to transform public spaces to make them more user-friendly, so residents can lead more active lifestyles. There are currently more than 460km of cycle paths in Dubai and this landscape will expand dramatically over the next few years. It was not announced when the new track will open to the public. In much of Dubai, the speed limit on tracks dedicated to cyclists is 30kph. Tracks in urban areas dedicated to cyclists or shared with pedestrians have a speed limit of 20kph.
