I came to Dubai around 7 years ago, the city was simple, life was routine and greatest event would be a new mall somewhere in the city or its few suburbs.
Suddenly a new idea came up to start huge construction projects, money is available, labor is available, desert lands are available, why not starting?! water could be a problem, but the sea has enormous volume of it, let's purify it... wait, not only the desert land is there, we can also build on the sea..!
Now, the city's population as I heard reached 1.3 million, but a small problem exists, those people are mostly working people who needs to go to work morning and come back from work in the evening.. let's see what happens.
Dubai's housings used to be much more expensive than the nearby Emirate, Sharjah.. it's a 10 - 20 minutes driving from Sharjah to Dubai, most people who cannot afford staying in Dubai found affordable places to stay in Sharjah, besides, who's coming to Dubai and willing to work in the excessive high temperatures especially in the 9 months summer would like to save some money.. wasn't that the purpose of coming here in the first place?!
The only thing that didn't develop while developing this city were the roads. Police used to handle the situations during rush hours, then create a new authority and bring some thinking into it.. we'll put a woman on top of it so we'll look more civilized and ladies will have their share in leading. it's not cuz I'm against women in the leadership positions, but it's a matter of fact, they're not that practical.
Anyways, and in short, Dubai faces a huge problem daily during the working week days, Sunday thru Thursday.
If you are staying in Sharjah and working in Dubai, let's say the Bur Dubai side, you need to be on the road by latest 6 am to reach your work by 8 am. if you're a bit late and you are in your car by 6:15 am instead, you'll reach your work by 9 am. now if you are working in Jebel Ali Free Zone, like most people are, you better be on the road by 5 am to reach Jebel Ali by 8 am, otherwise if you're a bit late, you'll only reach by 9.30 am.. not mentioning the stress on the way.. by the way, on a Friday or a Saturday morning, that trip would take around 30 - 45 minutes.
I summarized the reasons of Dubai's traffic problems by the following:
1) The newly created authority: Road Lengthening and Time Wasting Authority: in short: RTA, this authority since created had on it's mind the thoughts of making life more miserable in Dubai, by closing all shortcuts, leading all traffic to Round abouts without seeing the impact on that crazy plan, installing new high cost electronic message boards that's only purpose will be sucking 4 Dirhams every time you pass under.. will be implemented by July 07.
2) Dubai Municipality: With its great ambition to empty the pockets of people staying in Dubai, now there's not a single road without Parking Polls..! even under your building, can you imagine the situation, when Dubai started to get built in late 70s, they didn't consider parking problems so buildings built till late 90s didn't consider parking plots as a must.. you could park under the building, around the building, almost anywhere without a problem.. now you have to pay, most places in Dubai: 1 hour = 2 Dirhams, 2 hours = 5 Dirhams...!!! but of course not in residential places mostly occupied by locals.. by the way, locals mostly live in villas and they have their parking inside the villas itself so it'll be costly to install parking polls there, not that the municipality officials give them a praise being locals.. keep in mind, such parking lots are not covered, not serviced, so you pay money just because you drive a car, and don't even think of getting your daily destinations by taxis, your pockets would be worn out much faster, and your nerves would be crying for a shrink in no time. lack of taxi cars where needed, lack of language, lack of common logic.. simply Dubai taxi drivers can turn your whole day to madness in a minute. now imagine where people would park their cars and how..!
3) Traffic Signs Guards: They used to be called Dubai Police, but since the invention of the authority mentioned in number 1 here, it took over controlling the roads and traffic from Dubai Police, so the last printed big quantities of fine books and now their role would be standing as guards near traffic signs and waiting someone to violate any and smack them. They don't bother now if the traffic is in jam.. if your traffic signal turns into green then back into red and not a single car moves due to traffic from the other traffic signal, while Mr. Traffic Sign Guard stands there with his pen ready and the fine book is open just to write your plate number.. within 24 hours, check their website and now you have to pay 400 Dirhams (minimum) cuz the guard spotted you trying to find a way to your work and not get a warning letter or whatever.
4) Speed Limiters..!: The government here on its highest ranks try its best to resolve all problems so we cannot blame it for any of that, but as you go lower the ladder problems start, and we cannot only blame the government for that, this is time to give part of the blame on drivers. a Speed Limiter is someone who would be driving a small Japanese car mostly Toyota Corolla or Echo, or something alike, taking the left lanes of the roads, driving at the speed of maximum 70 where the speed limit is 100 and maximum by 80 where the speed limit is 120 like on the biggest road, Sh. Zayed Road. now I said lanes and not lane, because simply speed limiters block all 3 or 4 lanes on the left side in a racing track mode, and leaving the right side for faster motorists. If you'd like to be still not violating the traffic law and taking over another car from the left side, you would end up driving your SUV or your normal car like a race track, left right left right left right all the way, using speed imitator cars as the track cones.. but beware of something more important, now cameras are installed on each road in Dubai, so whenever you do such a thing, be sure that you'll get yourself fined for trying to reach work on time due to 'reckless driving', remember you were driving in a zigzag way on the high way.. it's dangerous, and you are endangering Dubai's precious 'Speed Limiters'.
5) Road Constructions: not a single road in Dubai doesn't have a construction site on it, if not a building a road detour, if not, a broken pipe underground, if not, the authority in number 1 above, found a shortcut and wants to block it.
a lot more to share about above subject but i got tired typing, maybe another time. have a lovely day.
Don't be frustrated, I found a solution for this problem, I have a 4x4 car with a very loud horn, just I use it in an annoying way to draw the police attention, then they'll move and life would be smooth again. 0 comments
