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19 March 2024

Logjam: 41% UAE residents claim extra 1-2 hours on roads daily

Published
By Bindu Rai

Two weeks into the schools reopening post summer and the burgeoning traffic conditions in Dubai and Sharjah has commuters appealing for a more permanent solution to ease the daily gridlock.

In a recent poll conducted by Emirates 24|7, 41 per cent of the respondents admitted to spending up to an additional two hours in traffic every day.

Meanwhile, another 17 per cent stated they were forced to leave home early or stay at work until late to avoid the period of rush hour, which usually hits between 7am and 9am in the mornings and between 5pm and 7pm in the evenings.

Liza Joseph, who lives in Al Barsha and commutes to Jebel Ali, stated: “I used to live in Sharjah back in 2007, while working in Jebel Ali. The conditions were so stressful that I was forced to move closer to my work. Now, nearly seven years later, even the commute from Al Barsha to Jebel Ali is just as stressful.

“With the schools reopening in the area, I spend an additional one hour in traffic every morning. Things get worse in the evenings; if I don’t leave before 4pm, then I force myself to stay put for an additional three hours to avoid the gridlock that faces me down Sheikh Zayed Road.”

An additional 11 per cent of poll respondents also confessed they have stopped using certain routes to avoid getting stuck in gridlock.

Alex Morris, a resident of Jumeirah Village Circle, said: “I have stopped driving down Hessa Street to reach my office in Dubai Media City. That commute serves no purpose at any given time of day, unless I am looking forward to notching up my blood pressure and being late in to work by at least a couple of hours.

“Now, with a new school opening in Al Barsha, Umm Sequiem Road is also off the plan; time to find a new alternative.”

An additional six per cent of respondents stated they avoid driving now when possible, while 25 per cent said they practice all of the above.

Laurie Parker, a Jumeirah Lake Towers resident, said: “These days I avoid Jumeirah Beach Residences, Dubai Marina, Discovery Gardens, Tecom, Downtown and definitely Greens Community. Frankly, the traffic in my own neighbourhood is so exhausting, that when I come home from work, the only thing I want to do is curl up and forget the three hours I have wasted in my day just simmering in traffic.”