Cars, Traffic, Taxis and Getting Around When Living in Dubai
Published on 29 May 2008
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Many jokes are made about the state of the traffic situation in Dubai and the safety – or lack thereof – of the roads in the emirate; but for those on the ground, cars, traffic, taxis and getting around when living in Dubai are no laughing matter!
There is gridlock and traffic chaos on the roads everyday, if you even have a single drink, attempt to drive and are caught you will end up in prison, and now that there are tolls in place on the main roads, the back roads are getting clogged up and no one is seemingly going anywhere in Dubai particularly fast.
But hey, the good news is that petrol in the emirate is ridiculously cheap and capped in price as well. With the price of petrol in the UK rising almost daily and the government singularly unable to do anything about it, anyone living in Dubai who has recently moved out from the UK will find it a pleasure to fill up their car. That is, unless they have bought a diesel fuelled car! Diesel has just gone up in price in Dubai and it is causing significant concerns that it will have a further negative effect on inflationary pressure. Mind you, diesel is massively cheaper in Abu Dhabi and it’s only about a 240km round trip to drive there and fill up instead!!
Another piece of good news about cars in Dubai is that they are sold tax-free and are therefore very affordable. You’ll probably see more four wheel drive vehicles in the emirate than anywhere else in the world in concentration terms! This is a) because they are so affordable b) because a lot of people like to spend time out in the desert exploring and camping and so a 4x4 makes sense for them and c) because they are so much safer in a crash – for the passengers anyway!
Because the state of the roads in Dubai is so bad and the emirate has one of the highest car accident rates in the whole world to the point where it is an official fact that young male UAE nationals stand more chance of being killed in a car accident than young males anywhere else in the world, the safety of your car is of real concern to those living in Dubai.
As previously stated as well, drink driving is not tolerated – at all. You will be put in prison for one month if caught and you face a complete ban, further prison time, fines and deportation depending on the severity of your offence so don’t even think about it. The good news is that there are almost as many taxis in Dubai as citizens! Well, not quite, but taxis are easy to come by and cheap – but sit in the back and wear a seatbelt to be safe!
Finally, the good news about the horrific state of the traffic situation in Dubai is that the government is addressing it as fast as it possibly can. Work is ongoing day and night to build new interchanges, new roads and an urban rail link and to try and alleviate the stresses that the citizens of the emirate face on a daily basis.
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