Chorus rising for a metro rail system

Motorists in Dubai expressed their concern on the increase in traffic and suggested that it is high time for the concerned authorities to introduce a Metro System. They were of the opinion that the recent Dubai police ban on heavy vehicles on Sheikh Zayed Road would not help in the traffic congestion problem or reduce road accidents.

Lamya Nasser, a Tunisian who lives in Dubai, believes that traffic in Dubai is really bad. She does not believe that the new ban will help.

"The traffic in Dubai is really bad. The new rule which prohibit trucks from using the main streets will not reduce traffic because these trucks are not that many. One family in Dubai now has about four cars. This number will increase as the population increases and the traffic will become worse, she said.

According to Lamya, the authorities should seriously think of building an underground rail system.
"This will help in reducing the traffic. Dubai is developing fast and the population is increasing. There is need for such a system."

She said this rail system will be used more by expatriates as they make up a large portion of the population. It will be much cheaper mode of transport."

Sharing similar views, Sanaa Sete, a Tunisian living in Dubai said: "The traffic in Dubai is unbelievable, especially during the peak hours. I don't think that the new law will reduce traffic because trucks are not the main cause of traffic."

She added that if the authorities build metro system, then the traffic will really decrease in Dubai.

"There are metro systems in most of the developed countries. It really helps in reducing pressure on the roads. This system will really help in reducing traffic during the Dubai Shopping Festival." she said.

According to her, the main traffic is between Dubai and Sharjah and something should be done to solve this.

"Another solution to this problem is by shifting ministries and businesses outside the centre of the city. This way you distribute the traffic among these cities rather than having them all in one place." she said.

On the other hand, Gladys Evangelista, a Filipina said: "The traffic system in Dubai is really good and it is more comfortable to drive here. The drivers are disciplined, there is no chaos on the roads, and less congestion on the roads. But this becomes bad during rush hours," she noted.

She believes that the metro system will help in reducing traffic because most of the expatriates will prefer to use the metro than their cars. She also said there should be more flyovers on roads between Dubai and Sharjah.

Chris Leach, a British national thinks that the traffic system in Dubai is really good. "Traffic is not bad in Dubai, but you do have rush hours. This happens mainly in the evening when people go out for leisure activities or shopping. In the day time we don't have much traffic, except when people go to offices or schools."

According to Chris, he thinks that the ban law is good because it is a known fact that trucks add to the traffic accidents.

"This is good and it will help in reducing the traffic, but there should be flyovers.

Carol Leach, another Briton said: "The roads are and the traffic system is really good. But rush hours are bad all over the world. The new ban will really help because truck drivers are really bad drivers. It has also stopped congestion on Sheikh Zayed Road, but this makes motorists drive very fast."

According to Carol, there should be a metro system in the UAE cities because it will help in reducing traffic, especially between Dubai and Sharjah.

Keith Gastor, a UK citizen said: "Generally, the traffic in Dubai is terrible, and I don't know from where these people get their driving licenses. Keith thinks that this new ban should be for the whole day.

Keith believes that there should be a electric train link between Jebel Ali and Sharjah. "I would definitely use it because it will save me time, and money." he said.

Tariq Nawaz, a Pakistani said: "I think traffic is more organised in the UAE." He said the ban will be very good because trucks add to traffic on the roads.

He opined that some truck drivers take drugs to keep awake while driving in the night. "I think some restrictions should also be on taxi drivers too because they often do not obey rules. They should be more organised too." he adds.

Issa Al Mulla, a Qatari visitor said: "The traffic in Dubai is bad during rush hours, but the traffic system is more organised here than other Gulf countries."

Issa thinks that the new rule will be very good, but it should not be enforced for the whole day. He said that there should be some times when these trucks should not use the main roads, especially during the rush hours.