1. Area: Shindagha
Issue: Bottleneck. Traffic from three directions converging into two tracks heading into Shindagha Tunnel from Bur Dubai to Deira.
Peak time: 5pm to 8pm.
What motorists say: “The situation has worsened over the last six months. During peak hours, tailbacks could be seen as far back as the Rashid port intersection. It takes at least 30 minutes to cover a distance of two kilometres,” said Mohammad Jailani, who regularly travels this route.
2. Area: Karama
Issue: Bottlenecks and lack of exits. For an area as sprawling and with such high population density, Karama has few exits and those that exist are too narrow.
Peak time: 6:30am to 8:30am and 5:30pm to 8:30pm.
What motorists say: “The biggest problem in Karama is the lack of exits and entries for an area of this size and population. There is single exit on the southern side of Karama, heading towards Shaikh Zayed Road and which is always clogged. To make matters worse most exits and entries have single track. During evening motorist heading back from work through the Zabeel interchange spend around 15 to 20 minutes to cover a distance of just a few hundred metres,” said Sameer K.M., a longtime resident of Karama.
3. Area: Al Nahda
Issue: Traffic light, volume of traffic. Al Nahda has become the new Karama of 1990s in Dubai, with high density of population. Like many residential areas in Dubai, entry to the neighbourhood is a bit tricky. The Mamzar interchange on Al Ittihad road is the best way to enter the area, hence it is perennially crowded with traffic coming from the Mamzar area over the bridge and those coming from Ittihad road fighting for space on the two lanes to turn left from the following intersection.
Peak time: 5:30pm to 8:30pm
What motorists say: “The volume of traffic heading into the area during evening peak hours is unbelievable. It’s not just the residents of Al Nahda who are heading back, motorists from other areas trying to avoid Salik on Ittihad also enter the area from the Mamzar bridge, adding to the chaos that already existed on the Nahda interchange,” said a resident on condition of anonymity.
4. Area: Baniyas Road
Issue: Bottleneck. A longstanding problem facing the area which faces frequent snarls is the bottleneck at the Etisalat intersection. Traffic heading from City Centre on four tracks converge into two with one track heading into Etisalat premises and the another spare for a free right. Traffic during peak hours is nightmarish.
Peak Time: 11am to 2pm and 5:30pm to 8pm.
What motorists say: “With most of the Baniyas Road after Etisalat is two tracks, the traffic at the Etisalat intersection heading towards Al Ras is forced to converge into tracks. Many motorists break the law by entering back into the first two tracks from the track spared for free right, adding to the problem. I don’t see any end in sight to the problem,” said Jailani Mohtisham.
5. Area: Satwa
Issue: Bottleneck, narrow roads. Most of Satwa has narrow roads, which causes congestion but the real problem lies near the exit from the area at the Satwa roundabout. Traffic heading from Satwa Road towards the roundabout has to merge into one track from two tracks, which causes serious bottleneck.
Peak time: throughout the day.
What motorists say: “Going out of Satwa from the roundabout is a headache throughout the day, but it is particularly difficult during morning peak hours and evening when there are too many buses. However, I feel it is inevitable,” said Raul Ramirez, a Filipino resident of Satwa.
6. Area: Abu Baker Siddique Road.
Issue: Bottleneck. With two tracks entering through the underpass from Al Maktoum bridge and two other tracks coming from Clock Tower merging into three tracks, there is obvious bottleneck on the busy road. Not helping the cause during the peak hours are the traffic lights at the following intersections.
Peak time: 5pm to 8pm.
What motorists say: “When four tracks will merge into three there will obviously be a problem. Traffic movement slows down significantly during evening peak hours when the volume of vehicles from Al Maktoum bridge increases. This can be solved by continuing the two tracks heading from Clock Tower, instead of merging them into one as is the case now,” said a motorist on condition of anonymity.
7. Area: Dubai Media City/Al Sufouh Road
Issue: Traffic light, road works. Motorists heading back home from work have a torrid time exiting Dubai Media City through Al Sufouh Road. Construction works of Dubai Tram has added to the problem, but the real issue is the traffic light at the exit near Arjaan Rotana heading into Al Sufouh Road.
Peak time: 6pm to 7:30pm.
What motorists say: “Getting out of Dubai Media City from Al Sufouh side has been an issue for some time now and the construction work has added to the problem. There is an exit on the eastern side heading directly to Shaikh Zayed Road but not many people use it to avoid Salik,” said Mohammad Taha, who works for an advertising firm based in the media cluster.
8. Area: Discovery Gardens
Issue: Bottleneck, lack of alternative exits. A single entry and exit point to Shaikh Zayed road and the closure of alternative exit from behind towards Mohammad Bin Zayed Road has given daily headaches to thousands of motorists living in the area and surroundings.
Peak Time: 7am to 9am and 5pm to 8pm
What motorists say: “With only a single entry and exit point, traffic around the Discovery Gardens and the adjoining areas have really become unbearable and the recent installation of steel fencing on the Shaikh Zayed Road near the area has worsened the situation. Several people were using the dirt road to access the area but with the closure of that section all are forced to use a single bridge, making traffic immovable,” said a resident of Discovery Gardens.
9. Area: Airport Tunnel
Issue: Volume of Traffic. Traffic during evening peak hours heading towards Sharjah has increased drastically over the last few months and Salik hasn’t helped. People heading to Al Qusais through the tunnel face bottlenecks with motorists avoiding toll coming from Mohammad Bin Zayed road.
Peak time: 5pm to 8pm.
What motorists say: “The traffic situation around Airport Tunnel has really turned bad over the past months during evening. With people heading to Sharjah also using the tunnel, people like me living in Al Qusais are caught in the chaos. Exiting from the tunnel to Al Qusais is a major issue as well,” said Syed Abdullah.
10. Area: Al Barsha 1
Issue: Bottleneck, narrow streets. For a relatively new neighbourhood, Al Barsha faces some serious road planning issues, with narrow and winding streets and too many traffic lights put too close together. Adding to that is the convergence of traffic from three directions towards Umm Suqeim street.
Time: 7am to 9am and 5pm to8pm.
What motorists say: “Al Barsha is already densely populated and there is serious lack of space due to poor planning. Roads from Lulu Hypermarket, Mall of the Emirates and another direction converge at a small and narrow intersection causing jams. Getting out of the area during the morning peak hours is a nightmare and with school buses entering the are at the same time it’s a bit too much,” said Ahmad Hussain a long time resident of Al Barsha.
