A place for both
The ‘e-book ending print’ discussion has been going on for a number of years now (‘E-books not the end of print, publishers say,’ Gulf News, November 6). In fact, recent research has suggested a rise in demand for print editions. Personally, I believe we will see more market segmentations with different genres being published in the more appropriate format. In addition with the limited cost and effort to produce e-books, it would be madness to not produce both and make sales as accessible as possible!
From Mr John Pelling
Brighton, UK
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Print will never die
Of course nothing can beat the feel of an actual book in your hands, but nowadays, space for storage is the largest concern and there are not many libraries that will lend books anymore! I had around 200 books that I bought in bookstores all over the UAE, and eventually I had to sell them all off and switch over to the electronic versions. All books are now on my kindle, tablet and smartphone, which is managed by a free e-book software. It’s the same way newspapers aren’t as popular as they used to be in the olden days, but that they still won’t be obsolete. Print copy will stay and never die out. Moreover, having print is a fail-safe since electronic storage could be corrupted anytime.
From Mr Roshan
Ras Al Khaimah
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Recent increases weren’t long ago
I thought the Dh3 fare is only for the Dubai tram, but instead it will be for all public transportation (‘RTA revises public transport tariff’, Gulf News, November 6). Why make it applicable to the other modes of public transportation as well? I think the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) should have also considered that just a few months ago, they increased the minimum card balance to Dh5.80. Everything else is going up, except for salaries and wages.
From Ms Rosa
Dubai
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A sizeable increase!
It is around a 60 per cent increase and still Gulf News is writing that it is only a “slight increase in fares”. The authorities should think of the labourer’s income because they use public transportation and it’s too much of an increase for them. There hasn’t even been a five per cent hike in wages.
From Mr Mohammad Salman
Dubai
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Relax!
People just need to relax. If you are a regular commuter, go for the quarterly Dh830 or yearly Dh2630 pass, which is very cheap. I just wish there was similar quarterly or yearly pass category for gold class commuters as well!
From Ms Addy
Dubai
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Not likely to save
You have to be careful in working out if the packages are a good value for your money or not. Quarterly multi-zone packages with a silver card will be Dh830. If you use the Metro to commute to work and back five days a week, there are, plus or minus, 65 working days in the quarter. That works out to be around Dh12 per day but, paying for individual journeys over two zones will be Dh6 per trip or Dh12. Therefore, you would have to be using the Metro for longer distances or more frequently than twice a day before the package offered any savings.
From Mr Chris
Dubai
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Need a cheaper travel option
Why make the Dh3 fee applicable to the other modes of public transport as well? In the first place, the tram is not accessible anywhere else. From Dh1.80 to Dh3 is a 67 per cent price hike. Please rethink and make a survey about the salary and income of the people who are travelling by bus. If not, maybe RTA could consider making a substitute travel mode — a second bus option at least, so that people can reach their workplaces.
From Mr Abdullah
Dubai
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Discourages commuters
So, this will be encouraging us to stop using the Metro from November 11 and onwards. More than a 60 per cent hike in price and it says that it is a relief? The traffic situation will surely get worse now since the majority of commuters will stop using public transport. Why don’t we ever have news that says there is going to be a drop in prices?
From Ms Rita
Dubai
Forced credit card fee
I have also been a victim of a bank credit card issue (‘How can a bank force a credit card on me?’, Gulf News, November 5)! The sales guy confirmed that it was a lifetime free credit card, so I took it. After that, he didn’t give me any assurances and didn’t humour me on this matter, so I didn’t activate the credit card.
Last year they made Dh500 charges on that credit card that I never even activated it! I informed the bank customer services and the central bank too, so finally they withdrew that amount. They didn’t want to cancel the credit card though and they didn’t agree to make it lifetime free either. Instead, they are giving me some kind of conditional use related to the amount on the card in order to make the credit card free.
To this day I haven’t activated it to use that credit card, but I’m still worried that one day they’ll try to charge me again. We’ll see!
From Mr Rashid
UAE
Save water!
I wanted to inform Gulf News readers about this really serious issue on wastage of water. The water we waste can have an impact on utility bills and that can get you stressed out. The way to stop this from happening is to not leave the taps running and we all need to start putting the taps on a slower water flow.
In the shower, we should be quicker and we should stop taking really long and hot baths. We are living in a hot country and we will sweat a lot. We are doing this so that the next generation can have some water, like your children currently do. We are running out of fresh water.
From Mr Sa’ad Qadri
UAE
A nice outdoor activity
Thank God Global Village has opened back up again — finally some cheap outdoor activities (‘‘Bigger, better’ Global Village opens Thursday,’ Gulf News, November 5)! Just one request though — hopefully this time each pavilion will represent its own culture and heritage and sell products imported from their respective countries.
From Mr Jahan
Dubai
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Needs a bus route!
People from all over the UAE have been eagerly awaiting for Global Village to enjoy as they have every year, but many people face difficulty in travelling from distances. People from areas like Sharjah and Ajman, don’t have any public transportation to Global Village. I request the authorities to arrange bus transportation facilities from Sharjah. A few years ago, we used to have the bus to Global Village from Sharjah.
From Mr Basha
Sharjah
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Help elderly and families
I wish there could be some minivans so that elderly people and parents with small children could travel in and around Global Village. Currently, it is really difficult to walk such a stretch. I think that it’s one of the biggest reasons why people are deterred from visiting. It’s a nice place to go, but a long stretch to walk.
From Ms S. K.
Dubai
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New drivers are dangerous
Imagine the horror of driving behind a car that suddenly brakes in the middle of a main road, swerves into your lane without indicating or is being driven at a snail’s pace. I encounter this situation on a daily basis on my way to Dubai from Sharjah. I usually take the non-Salik route via Al Qusais to reach my destination.
However, I now have doubts on my decision. This road may save toll charges, but it is transforming into a death trap for motorists given that most driving schools train their students on this route leading towards Al Qusais. These new drivers lack confidence and struggle to keep pace with the fast-moving traffic. It seems to cause them to panic and do things that can prove fatal. I am not against the idea of training new drivers so that they can be at par with the other drivers on the roads, but they should be kept away from busy roads during their initial lessons. They should be taken to less congested roads where it is easier for them to learn and understand the basics of good driving, instead of having to wade their way through heavy traffic and reckless drivers.
From Ms Fatima Suhail
Sharjah
Need a second path
The 14-kilometre walk in Jumeirah Corniche is a refreshing way to have a healthy day. The scenery, the fresh air — it really does freshen your mind! The Jumeirah Corniche is a gorgeous addition to the area, offering a greater relaxation for the public. My suggestion is that there should be another path for cycling and roller skating though.
Also, the jogging path could be fenced off from the cycling path to avoid any accidents. It ensures the complete utilisation of the path. I hope this facility can be implemented. If a path for cycling and skating is provided, I assure you that the Jumeirah Corniche will be one of the largest public tourist attractions in the UAE.
From Mr Arjun Sunil Nair
UAE
Failed in foreign policy
Though the overall economic parameters improved a lot over the past two years, Obama has failed miserably in foreign policies such as fighting Daesh or leading the mission in Afghanistan to a logical conclusion (‘Obama vows to get the job done,’ Gulf News, November 6). Many of his promises made were never met, including the elimination of Guantanamo Bay and the gap between the rich and the poor is widening day by day.
From Mr Girish R. Edathitta
Dubai
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