Dubai Municipality official: ‘Limit car buying to cut traffic’

Seven thousand people are expected to leave their cars at home on Wednesday, when the fifth annual Car Free Day is held in Dubai.

However, the director-general of Dubai Municipality said he wants to cut the number of vehicles on the road permanently. Speaking on Sunday at the launch of the event, Hussain Nassir Lootah said a long-term solution was needed to sort the city’s congestion problems.

His comments came the day after he told a UAE newspaper that he thought a minimum salary should be set before someone is allowed to buy a car, and that motoring should be made more expensive by increasing costs such as fuel and parking.