Dubai: A number of newly built speed bumps in International City have led to traffic jams in the area, say frustrated motorists.
The Road and Transport Authority (RTA) has built a number of speed humps inside Dubai’s International City over the past few months with the aim of increasing pedestrian safety.
The move, which included building two to three speed humps on almost every main street in the area, has affected the flow of traffic at all times of the day.
International City residents are now finding themselves in a constant traffic jam when trying to enter or leave the area.
Auditor Mohammad Samir, who lives in the China cluster of International City, said while some of the speed humps around the area are necessary for pedestrian crossings, others placed near the exits of the city are not justified.
“Before the speed humps were placed, you would only face traffic at specific times of the day like the mornings when everyone is on their way to work,” he said adding that the traffic going out of the city has become evident at all times of the day.
RTA did not respond to queries despite repeated requests.
Samir who leaves his house between 8-8.30am for work everyday, said that while it used to take him less than 10 minutes to exit the city in the morning rush, it now takes him more than 15 minutes.
At other times of the day, trying to exit the City is also a hassle he added. “It used to take me around four minutes to leave the city when it wasn’t rush-hour, it easily takes more than double the time now,” he added.
Another resident said that a proper study should be done before building such speed humps.
International City, which is a popular residential area, is located on Emirates Road and has an approximate population of 60,000 people.
While the driving residents of International City are frustrated with the all-day traffic rush, pedestrians now feel safer when crossing the roads in their neighbourhood.
Many of the speed humps placed on the side roads around the clusters of the City are helping increase pedestrian safety by forcing cars to slow down. “Pedestrians now have an opportunity to cross the street at the zebra crossing without having to worry about speeding cars,” added Samir.
