Dubai: The first shopping weekend at the newly-opened Dubai Mall has been marred by severe traffic congestion and frayed tempers.
Thousands of motorists were stranded for hours in massive tailbacks around the mall on Friday and hundreds of vehicles were issued parking fines after drivers abandoned their cars when the indoor parking facility was closed to shoppers.
A massive queue also formed at the mall's taxi rank and many people lost their temper.
Gulf News visited the mall on Saturday and found the situation had improved slightly but the main roads in the surrounding area remained extremely congested.
Shoaib Deshmukh, a 32-year-old travel co-ordinator from India, told Gulf News it took him three-and-a-half hours to reach Dubai Mall from Karama on Friday.
It normally takes him around 15-20 minutes to reach the Downtown Burj Dubai development.
He said: "The situation was horrible on Friday. Several of the mall's parking entrances were blocked and people were abandoning their cars all over the place. Hundreds of vehicles received fines from the police and officials from the Roads and Transport Authority.
"The approach roads to the mall were better today [Saturday] but finding a parking spot was still a nightmare. Hopefully things will improve over the next few weeks and months."
The roads around the mall also experienced traffic chaos in the lead-up to the grand opening when the 'Access One' entrance/exit to Burj Dubai was closed.
Atif Kareem, a 35-year-old business development manager, from Pakistan called Gulf News to complain about the parking situation on Saturday.
He said: "Due to the huge crowds over the weekend, the indoor parking was closed and security guards informed shoppers they could park on the bridge, within the yellow lines.
"Despite assurances they would not be fined, shoppers returned to find hundreds of cars had received parking tickets. It took around 15-20 minutes to walk to the mall from the car park and many shoppers lost their temper."
The mall, which covers an internal floor area of 5.9 million square feet, is the largest in the Middle East and home to Dubai Aquarium and Discovery Centre, Dubai Ice Rink and The Gold Souq.
However, many of the mall's outlets are still empty and the main talking point over the opening weekend has been of the chaos trying to get into the attraction rather than what's actually inside it.
Taher Abdul Aatty, a 41-year-old Egyptian sales manager, said he hoped to see things improve in the near future.
He said: "I didn't encounter too many problems on the journey to the mall from my home in International City. The traffic seemed fine today but my friend said it was total carnage on Friday."
Have you visited the mall? How long did you have to wait in traffic? What makes the mall different from the rest, for you? Fill in the form bellow to send your comments.
Your comments
The roads to Dubai Mall from Shaikh Zayed Road were still not complete, which resulted in huge traffic jams. The parking system in the mall was in total chaos and the attendants were guiding people in the wrong direction. In one instance, they led some people straight to the exit. Entering the mall and finding a parking space took about 30 minutes while driving out took 25 minutes. Going to the mall is not recommended until the access roads are ready and the parking system in order.
Faiz Jalal
Abu Dhabi,UAE
Posted: November 09, 2008, 10:58
If you want to be the first to witness anything new in Dubai or elsewhere, the best time to visit is during weekdays or wait for a few weeks until the mall is really ready. I had visited the mall over the weekday, which was very smooth and easy. However, my next visit would only be after a few weeks. Give them some time to organise themselves.
Mazhar Mohad
Dubai,UAE
Posted: November 09, 2008, 09:26
If they are not ready, why did they open the mall? I was there and it seemed that the mall was opened in a rush; the stores are not fully open, the parking is partially open and the roads surrounding the mall are still under construction.
Mohy Eledwy
Dubai,UAE
Posted: November 09, 2008, 09:03
My family went to the mall on Saturday in the afternoon and we reached there without any trouble. The attendants did a great job of guiding us into the parking lots. My daughter had a great time ice-skating and we were really impressed with the big aquarium, where people gathered around to see the different sea creatures. We are just hoping that there will be more improvements to ease the traffic there during weekends and holidays.
Jojo
Dubai,UAE
Posted: November 09, 2008, 08:01
I never liked malls. I see nothing but people loitering aimlessly. I feel that malls are for the lonely. I, along with my friends, spent the weekend in Al Ain enjoying the beautiful weather.
Deepak Ashok Manjal
Dubai,UAE
Posted: November 09, 2008, 07:36
What did shoppers expect? That they were the only ones informed about Dubai Mall? You do not need to be a rocket scientist to know that the place is going to be over-crowded. Why not wait for a while before going there? The mall will still be there next week, next month and next year.
Patricia L.
Dubai,UAE
Posted: November 09, 2008, 07:28
I went to Dubai Mall on a weekend morning. I had no problems entering the mall. I parked my car comfortably in the car park. Little did I know what was in store for me. When I tried to leave in the afternoon I found that all hell had broken loose in the car park. Many cars were trying to enter and exit from the same point and there was no supervision from the mall officials to control the situation. It took me nearly two hours to get out of the parking lot!
Sandip Sen
Dubai,UAE
Posted: November 09, 2008, 07:24
I have been to the mall. Firstly, we were directed in and then straight out the other side so we had to turn around to try and park again. The attendants did not seem to understand. As for the mall ? what a let down! It was like a half finished building site ? a safety hazard to children! Why not wait and open it properly when completed?
Jane
Dubai,UAE
Posted: November 09, 2008, 07:15
