No access: Lost in the city
Incessant road works and lack of proper signs make Meadows 9 residents feel like an isolated community
Dubai: Lost and forgotten - that's how residents from the Meadows 9 area of Emirates Hills feel about their posh gated community.
Incessant road works and lack of proper road signs in the area, they say, have made them feel cut off and isolated.
Months of road works have led to confusion about how to get in and out of the cluster and residents blame Emaar and the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) for not informing them when the works will be completed.
Babu Subramaniam, an Indian who runs an advertising agency, was one of the first people to move into the area six years ago.
"When we moved here there was pretty much just desert and over the years it has developed into one of the best places to live in Dubai. It's a real shame because up until a year and a half ago it was a wonderful community. But the road works have ruined that," he said.
In the dark
"I expected a lot more from Emaar in terms of informing residents. But they haven't done that and it's frustrating."
Paul Joseph, another Indian expatriate who has lived with his family in Meadows 9 for three years, said lack of clear access to the area has been a major cause for concern.
He said: "The biggest inconvenience for me is the poor level of access to the area. Earlier, you could go through near the Spinneys supermarket, but they dug that up and blocked off that particular access point. Now you have to go through The Springs and then make a big U-turn. It's a pain, but there just isn't good enough information to help people.
"If you don't know the area you could be driving around for a long time. The signs, if there are any at all, are also poor."
Fellow resident Gautam Sen Gupta, said, "The Meadows is probably the biggest of the clusters in the Emirates Hills area, but you wouldn't know [about] it, because there are virtually no signs.
"There are a few other minor issues like lack of a pool or a shopping centre in the area. Apart from Spinneys and Choithram, there isn't anything here.
"It used to be a very pleasant place to live and you could walk around the place, but now all that's gone. There aren't any safe areas to cross the road, so people just drive everywhere."
