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Call for overhauling road network policy

Having given in to endless traffic jams in both Dubai and Sharjah, travellers say that roads — within the emirate as well as the highways linking the emirates — are now blocked 24 hours, no matter where you are headed for. Since schools opened earlier this month, the traffic scene seems to have worsened as drivers now remain stuck in jams for more than three hours at a stretch, say vehicle users, pointing out that bottlenecks need to be tackled urgently to make the traffic flow smooth.

“Earlier, I had adjusted my timings after calculating the right time to leave home for my destination, but now whatever time I leave or wherever I am headed for, I end up spending more than two hours on the road,” said Karim Hussain, who travels daily between Sharjah and Jebel Ali for work-related visits.

“Be it Al Ittehad Road, King Faisal Road, Shaikh Zayed Road or internal roads in Dubai and Sharjah, there is hardly any occasion when my car’s speedometer crosses 60 kmph. I perpetually have backache and pain in my legs due to sitting in a cramped car seat position for hours at a stretch,” said Faryal Shah.

Yet motorists residing in Sharjah are also hopeful that after the clover leaf intersection, which is under construction at present, is thrown open, a lot of time would be saved. “Since the Sharjah ring road opened, entering the emirate has become relatively easier, but once the bridge is completed, hopefully traffic woes would be reduced,” said Faryal.

Another sore point among Sharjah motorists is King Faisal Road, which needs another extra hour to be negotiated.

As per general opinion, motorists coming from the Buhairah Corniche wishing to go towards Sharjah Industrial Area are the major cause for the blockade. This movement leaves only one free lane to enter Al Wahda Road which too, is blocked by erring motorists jumping the line, say people. At this point, absence of traffic policemen seems to aggravate the situation.

The Emirates Road, which was constructed to take the major load away from Al Ittehad Road has also become a disaster area.

Early morning and evening hours are worse since cars never move beyond a speed of 10kmph, so slow is the traffic. While people are moving in a slow line, several ‘macho’ drivers just zoom past crossing cars on the hard shoulder which poses a much greater danger, say several other frustrated drivers.

Shaikh Zayed Road, too, is bearing the burden of the traffic headed towards Jebel Ali and Media and Internet Cities and motorists feel that it might give in any time. Frustrated motorists believe that unless and until the government takes rapid action to curb the 'vehicular population explosion,' a major disaster is in the making.

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