UAE: Residents' commute time slashed by over 1 hour daily as roads go 'empty' amid holidays

Life has become easier these days for many UAE residents: With roads clear of traffic jams, daily commutes have suddenly been slashed by half — all thanks to the summer holidays.

Expat Awais Toor would usually leave his Sharjah home at 7.30am and reach his Dubai office by 9am. "Now, I reach my office in just 40 to 50 minutes,” said the resident who works as a technical manager at a consultancy.

Even the evening commute is now a "breeze", he said. "What used to take one hour and 20 minutes now only takes 45 minutes."

This means that, every day, Toor saves at least 85 minutes. "I get home earlier in the evening, giving me extra time to spend with friends, and I can do many tasks at home," he said.

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The bumper-to-bumper traffic from Sharjah to Dubai in the morning and the other way around by evening is nowhere to be found — a trend typically seen during this time of the year, when families are travelling for the holidays.

Abdul Rahman, a Sudanese expat and dentist, lives in Sharjah's Muwaileh area and commutes to Dubai's Al Barsha every day.

“On normal days, my commute takes about one hour and 30 minutes. But during the summer vacation, I reach my workplace in just 40 to 45 minutes," he told Khaleej Times.

He usually had to crawl through congested roads even as late as 9.30pm to 10pm on his way home. "Now, roads are almost empty, and I could drive at full speed," Abdul said.

“I was talking to a colleague of mine about the traffic situation. Then I realised that many of his relatives and friends were on vacation. Then I thought to myself, there may be thousands of them on vacation, which has significantly reduced the traffic congestion on roads,” the expat added.

All the extra time is put to good use, he added. There's more quality time with family, more me-time, and less stress on the road.

For Aboobacker Shibin, a drive of more than an hour and 45 minutes is now down to less than an hour.

"This reduction in travel time has made a huge difference in my daily routine,” said Shibin, a design engineer who works in Dubai and lives in Ajman.

“I can start my day with less stress and get home earlier, allowing me to have more personal time and better work-life balance,” he said.

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