The government has announced plans to establish a state-of-the-art Traffic Monitoring Centre as part of a comprehensive, multi-agency strategy to resolve congestion and upgrade transport infrastructure in the capital.
Speaking at a press conference held at the President’s Office, the Minister of Economic Development, Transport and Trade, Mohamed Saeed, revealed that the initiative aligns with President Dr Mohamed Muizzu’s vision for a coordinated, government-wide effort to tackle the ongoing traffic crisis in the Greater Male’ region.
Minister Saeed highlighted that efforts to modernise streets of Male’ are already underway, pointing to the successful transformation of the capital’s outer ring road. He announced that the reconstruction of all remaining roads in Male’ is scheduled to begin within this year, supported by assistance from the Chinese government.
"As the roads are developed to modern standards, we must also work to upgrade traffic management to a modern level. That is the vision. To make this vision a reality, we sought legal space through this law because resolving this issue will be difficult unless the entire Greater Male’ region is designated as a Registration Control Zone,” he explained.
According to the Minister, the decision to establish a Registration Control Zone follows extensive consultations with key stakeholders, including local business owners, the general public, and various government institutions. Feedback and issues submitted to local councils were also reviewed and analysed.
Minister Saeed emphasised that the primary objective of this designation is to enhance public safety.
"The entire design of the law centres on the safety of the individual. As we begin, the Greater Male’ area is becoming a Registration Controlled Zone. This does not mean vehicles cannot be registered. It means registration will be possible, but everyone must adopt a spirit of doing things in an organised manner according to specific standards,” the Minister explained.
The Minister added that there are no legal barriers to designating other regions across the country as Registration Control Zones in the future if the need arises.
To secure the necessary financing for road upgrades and traffic management systems, the government will utilise the newly legislated Land Transport Mobility Fund. Under recent amendments to the Land Transport Act, this dedicated fund must be fully operational by 1 October.
Consequently, revenue streams previously collected by the Male’ City Council—including vehicle registration and licensing fees, annual vehicle fees, and multiple ownership fees—will be redirected into this fund. Traffic fines collected from violations within the Greater Male’ area will also be deposited into the account.
Minister Saeed estimated that these vehicle-related fees will generate between USD 13 million and USD 14 million annually.
"The money is actually there. If the fees paid by vehicle users are directly allocated to this purpose, the necessary funds exist,” he noted.
The capital accumulated in the Land Transport Mobility Fund will be used to finance critical traffic safety projects, including the installation of modern traffic lights across the Male’ road network, structural changes to prevent illegal parking at key intersections, clearly demarcated parking zones and the construction of multi-story parking buildings.
The government confirmed that a dedicated office has already been established to spearhead these transport reforms, and physical work on the projects is progressing rapidly.