Learn how to find your address in Dubai

When taking the road in the emirate of Dubai it is not unlikely to get lost a couple of times before reaching your destination.

With the intricate infrastructure of bridges, intersections, fly-overs and high-paced highways it may be difficult to locate where you really are. And when you do, the exit that you should have taken might have passed already.

Routing out your map before you leave home is no more than a responsibility of every driver, as it contributes to safety on the road, argues the Road and Transport Authority (RTA). In a campaign aimed to increase the ‘street wisdom’ of the Dubai commuter, it has clarified how to utilize road signage in the emirate.

Addressing system
 
A new addressing system is in the making in Dubai, which will change the way that locations are described. Most importantly, the streets of Dubai will undergo major revamp.
 
For a long time most street and roads in Dubai were indicated with numbers, which were difficult to remember.

Through the street naming project, all streets will have new names not numbers. While some streets have already been named, others will get a name for the first time.

Furthermore, Dubai is divided in 13 districts and each district sub-divided in smaller localities.

The new information will be visible on signage boards, with many directions already adapted to the new names. The street name, as well as the district this street is located in will be indicated on the board.

In the beginning these directions may be a little confusing, as the street names might not be familiar to the public. A street such as Al Diyafa Street is now 2nd of December Street, and Road 312 is now First Al Khail Road. Therefore, it is important to pay attention to the changes made in the area of your regular commute.


The basics: North, East, South and West

The very basic rules that teach us the four directions north, east, south and west apply in Dubai too, and not only on the map. Information on the signage board will mostly be accompanied by these directions between brackets.

North is always heading towards Sharjah, while south is towards Abu Dhabi. Westwards lies the coast of Dubai, while Dubailand is in the east.

Remembering these basic rules will help a lot in deciding in which direction you should be headed.


Know the colours:

Dubai roads are classified by colours - blue, green, brown and white. These colours form the background of the signboard on the road.

Blue represents the inter-emirate roads, connecting Dubai to other roads. Sign boards on Sheikh Zayed road will have a blue colour, as well as Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road, and Dubai Bypass Road.

Green boards are used to indicate main locations within Dubai, brown boards to indicate landmarks and white boards are used for street names. For example, a location on Dubai Mall will be indicated on a brown board, while 2nd of December Street will be indicated on a white board.
 

Exit numbers:
 
If you are not sure about an exit or the direction that the exit is heading to, it can be useful to remember exit numbers. The major exits in Dubai have exit numbers, which are mentioned on the signboards.
 
Exit numbers increase from south to north and from west to east. For example, when driving on Sheikh Zayed Road an exit towards Discovery Garden will have a lower number than an exit towards Downtown Dubai. Likewise, when driving on Hessa Street the lower numbers will be in the vicinity of Jumeirah, while the numbers increase in the direction of Dubailand.
 
Apart from the exit numbers, a signboard indicates how far the exit is in distance. When an exit is coming up in 100 meters, this should tell you that you should be in the right lane, or you will miss your exit.

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