Dubai: Residents of Jumeirah Beach Residence (JBR) say they are at their wits’ end due to endless traffic jams caused by Dubai Tram works and building construction activity nearby.
“Nobody listens to our concerns. Traffic has always been an issue at JBR. But with the ongoing Dubai Tram work and a number of new projects coming up, things have gone from bad to worse,” said a German resident.
Besides 10 luxury hotels and 305 retail outlets, the 1.7 km stretch of JBR has 36 residential towers with around 20,000 people living in 6,400 apartments.
According to Dubai Properties Group (DPG), over 12 million visited The Walk last year.
While the numbers speak volumes about JBR’s popularity, residents are not amused to see their community turning into a tourist attraction.
“This place has become immensely crowded. Until recently, the road leading to The Walk used to remain gridlocked only during weekends but now it’s a daily feature,” said Indian expat M. Ahmad, who lives in Murjan, one of the residential clusters in JBR.
A resident of Bahar cluster said it’s challenge to get in and out of the community.
“The Dubai Tram construction routinely causes traffic snarls all the way from Al Sufouh to JBR. Every day, there is bumper to bumper traffic during peak hours. Weekends are even worse,” said another resident, Tina Martin.
Some residents attributed the traffic congestion to narrow roads.
“I can’t remember if my car speedometre ever touched 20km/h here. The roads are so narrow that the entire traffic comes to to a grinding halt even if one car stops for a few seconds,” said an Arab women. *Entry-exit points in JBR
Few know that each cluster of JBR has an access road to The Walk. As a result, most of them tend to enter the area from the first access point and exit from last. This invariably leads to bottlenecks along the entire stretch.
“Perhaps they should consider putting up sign boards to help motorists choose the right access,” said Murjan resident Meher Khan.
A DPG spokesperson said: “The Walk at JBR is a very popular destination, particularly on weekends, and we encourage our visitors to utilise public transport including the Dubai Metro. We work very closely with government authorities to regulate the flow of traffic to The Walk, especially at peak times.
"The tram along with other road developments at The Walk will enhance traffic flows and benefit both visitors and residents once complete. In addition, a number of DPG and RTA initiatives are being implemented to address both visitor and resident parking and traffic issues.”
