Skycourts access to Al Ain Road: A major accident waiting to happen

At least three accidents have already taken place so far this year around the Skycourts complex along Al Ain Road, residents report.

The last one - that required an ambulance to be called to the scene - happened on Wednesday night.

The sand and gravel pit connecting the Skycourts exit to Al Ain Road, is a recipe for more accidents waiting to happen, residents say.

Emirates 24|7 saw the six-inch cut in the road [see picture of Exit Road], which school buses, trucks and cars have to bump over to reach Al Ain Road.

With hurrying drivers bunching up at the exit one side and with heavy trucks thundering past at 120kmph or more on the highway, it does seem that an accident is waiting to happen, unless the road is ‘fixed’.

Residents’ complaints during June 2011 forced the completion of a smooth entry into the Skycourts complex [see Smooth Entry picture].

But surprising the 5-metre gap on the Al Ain Road exit continues to be left unmade.

Residents started moving into Dubailand Residential area, to the 2,800-apartment Skycourts complex located on Al Ain Road just before Outlet Mall, after April 2011.

Until today, some 2,000 units are occupied with a similar number of residents living in the further afield The Villa complex. But for these 4,000-odd residents, the road infrastructure around the area has not been completed.

Residents are growing by the day. But, much is still left to be done when it comes to the road infrastructure around the area. Basically, there is no access onto Al Ain Road.

"There is a huge gap between the access road and the highway, where cars and trucks are passing by at a very high speed. Getting onto the highway is an extremely dangerous thing to do," says Rajesh R, a Skycourts property owner.

"Cars have to slow down or stop in order to get on the highway safely. With a four-wheel drive it is not a problem, but I have a low ground-clearance car, and I easily get stuck there," says Pramod Mohan, another Skycourts resident.

It is difficult during the day, but even more so at night, when it is impossible to judge the distance of the oncoming car or truck by its blinding headlights, S. Kumar, another resident added.

In June last year, residents collectively requested better road access and exit after the building was handed over. This did lead to an improved access road to Skycourts, but the exit road remains a primitive gravel pit.

"We hear from RTA that it is the responsibility of Dubai Properties, and Dubai Properties claims RTA is responsible," says Rajesh.

Whereas RTA is responsible for Al Ain Road, Dubai Properties is responsible for the road structure in Skycourts itself, and the parties are negotiating what can be done and by whom, explains Sameh, a Skycourts interim owners association chairman and a property owner.

Until now negotiations seem to have reached no results on the ground and parties involved are unavailable for comment.
Meanwhile, residents need to stay alert and careful while jumping onto the Al Ain Road in low gear while keeping an eye out for oncoming traffic.

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