Dubai-Sharjah traffic: Heavy evening traffic on E11 and E311 means it's going to be a slow ride home

The journey home towards Sharjah is slowing down this evening, with the latest Google Maps showing heavy traffic on both of the main commuter corridors between the two emirates.

The toughest stretch appears to be on E11 heading towards Sharjah. Long sections of slow-moving traffic are visible around the Dubai-Sharjah border, with traffic remaining slow as the road continues into the city. Anyone heading towards Al Nahda, Al Taawun or central Sharjah should be prepared for a stop-start final leg of the journey.

E311/Sheikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road is also feeling the evening rush. A substantially stagnant stretch can be seen on the northbound approach to Sharjah, although conditions are considerably better farther south in Dubai. Traffic then becomes patchy again around Sharjah, with a mixture of red, amber and green sections on the live Maps.

Inside Sharjah, E88 is another road seeing delays, particularly around its connections with the main north-south routes. The maps also show slower traffic on some of the roads feeding central Sharjah, which could make the last few kilometres home more time-consuming even after drivers leave E11 or E311.

The picture across Dubai itself is less severe. E44 has pockets of amber and red traffic, particularly around busy junctions and the approaches towards Al Aweer, but much of the route remains clear. Farther south, the main roads around Jebel Ali and Dubai's outer districts are also largely moving freely, with only isolated slowdowns.

For commuters able to take a wider route, E611/Emirates Road continues to look like the better bet. Most of the highway is clear on the maps, with only short patches of slower traffic. It could be particularly useful for drivers heading to outer Sharjah or continuing towards Ajman, although it may add unnecessary distance for anyone travelling to neighbourhoods closer to the coast.

Conditions improve noticeably beyond Sharjah, with roads towards Ajman generally flowing well apart from a few short slow sections.