Al Nahda community watch: Rent vs traffic… What's driving Sharjah tenants back to Dubai

Many residents living on the Sharjah side of Al Nahda are now moving over to Dubai due to a lack of adequate parking facilities and daily traffic snarls.

This, despite rents reportedly skyrocketing on the Dubai side of Al Nahda.

“I do not mind paying more because the parking situation in Al Nahda (Sharjah) is getting worse by the day,” explains Shyam, who has been living in the area for the past couple of years.

“I was happy living on the Sharjah side of the border because we saved considerably on the rent.

“But now I find that saving pointless as I’m shelling out a lot of money just to maintain my car and there’s no mental peace.”

Shyam has not paid his landlord extra for parking, as is the norm, and used to park in the vacant sandy areas adjacent to his building for free.

The lack of designated parking slots in these areas has left most cars with dents and scratches. Many of these violations have not been owned up even, he added.

“Often when we step out to go to work we discover a new dent. There are so many on my vehicle that I have simply lost count.”

Some landlords are now increasing the parking fee.

“I used to pay Dh1,000 for parking, but this time the landlord has increased it to Dh2,500,” says Jacob, a resident in the area.

Some residents complained that cars are parked at random and end up blocking their access to the road.

“Everyone is so keen to find parking that they do not even bother to check if they are blocking other cars,” says another resident who has decided to move to Dubai in the new year.

“I’ve had to wait for an hour in the morning trying to find the owner of the car who blocked the access for me. It’s not only a waste of time but also extremely frustrating,” the Sharjah tenant added.

He explained that he would rather cough up more money for a better life and peace of mind.

Another resident complained of how she often wasted a lot of time looking for parking.

“If I do not reach home by 6pm, then finding parking is a nightmare.

“In fact, I find it tough to invite people over to my place because of this problem.

“Once, a guest of mine spent over an hour driving around our area to find parking. In the end, she gave up and drove away.”

The area, opposite Sahara Centre, is hugely populated but the parking facilities aren’t adequate.

The tiring commute is another reason why residents are moving to Dubai.

Although Al Nahda, Sharjah, is known to be a favourite for Dubai commuters because of its proximity to the emirate, the driving time to reach Al Nahda in Dubai is still lengthy.

“What would usually take 10 minutes to cross the border, will take over 20-25minutes during peak time,” a resident explained.

Although commuters are charged Salik to reach both sides – Sharjah and Dubai –  unless they take the Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road and interior roads, the travel time to access Sharjah is much more.

Here’s a look at the rents on either side of the fence.

Al Nahda rent check

- In Al Nahda, Dubai, a 1BHK (bedroom, hall, kitchen) starts at Dh50,000 and goes up till Dh70,000, while in Sharjah, the same will cost between Dh30,000-50,000.

- A 2BHK in Dubai will cost between Dh60,000 and Dh100,000, while in Sharjah, the cost is up to Dh65,000.

- A 3BHK in Dubai will cost between Dh90,000 and Dh100,000, while in Sharjah it will be up to 80,000.

Follow Emirates 24|7 on Google News.