Dubai's drive towards global acclaim has taken a wrong turn.
This tiny Gulf city once boasted about its world class facilities linked by smooth-running highways, but now gridlock is making things miserable for residents who came here in search of an affluent and comfortable lifestyle.
Economists and experts say the congestion that jams the streets for several hours a day could also dent Dubai's aspirations to transform itself from being the star of the wealthy Gulf region into a global business hub.
"This is going to affect the nice, shiny gloss on everything that is in Dubai," said Londoner Davyd Farrell of online newsletter Gulf Traffic (www.gulftraffic.com).
"This horrendous traffic is a waste of time, a waste of energy. One of the reasons I moved to Dubai, having spent a lot of time on commuting in London, is to get away from this," he added. "If I was to think about opening an office in Dubai, I would think very carefully about its location."
With a total area of just under 3,900 square km (1,500 square miles), Dubai is a bit bigger than Luxembourg and boasts wide, U.S.-style highways and interchanges.
About 1.4 million people live in Dubai, which is part of the United Arab Emirates and the Gulf region's trade and tourism hub. Officials estimate
the population is rising by at least 120,000 a year.
Eighty percent of residents are foreigners, lured by tax-free jobs that pay better than those back home. Dubai's liberal atmosphere and high-quality lifestyle add to the attraction for bankers, business people and other professionals.
But out on the streets, buses crammed with construction workers battle for road space with armadas of Toyota sedans, sleek Ferraris and hulking sports utility vehicles.
Seemingly perpetual road works and construction projects add to the chaos that some residents say reminds them of a miniature Manhattan -- at least as far as traffic problems go.
But unlike many of the global cities it is striving to emulate, Dubai has a public transport system that is limited to a few buses that residents say hardly run to schedule.
High temperatures and stifling humidity rule out walking and the absence of dedicated lanes makes cycling extremely dangerous. With taxis seen as expensive, residents say they have no real alternative to their cars.
"The whole idea of migrating here was to achieve a peaceful, comfortable and good life," said Indian financial analyst Sanjay Kamath, whose 46 km (29 mile) commute to work takes more than 1-1/2 hours. "But this traffic is damaging the Dubai dream."
Alistair Barley, operations manager for a major British retailer who has been in Dubai for seven years, said the traffic puts a damper on doing business here.
"It eats a lot of my productive working day," he said. "I spend a lot of time sitting in the car instead of visiting stores. My staff already work nine hour days and if you add two hours a day to and from, half their day is gone."
GROWING PAINS
Steve Brice, chief economist at Standard Chartered Bank, said gridlock was one of the "growing pains" of
Dubai's economy, which expanded at a rate of 17 percent last year.
"We're going to have to live with congestion," he said. "It is a factor businesses look at, but it's only one factor."
Government officials acknowledge that traffic congestion has grown at the same breakneck speed as the city, gripped by a construction frenzy fuelled by a booming local economy.
Municipality figures show the number of cars registered in Dubai will exceed 368,000 by year end. An extra 60,000 vehicles enter the city from other emirates every day.
"Dubai is one of the fastest growing cities in the world, so this is a natural consequence," said Brigadier Nasser Al Sayed Abdul Razzak, head of the city's Supreme Traffic Committee.
"We know traffic is an inconvenience but one that is necessary to make Dubai the great city that we envision."
Abdul Razzak said
the government had set aside 6-7 billion dirhams ($1.6-1.9 billion) so far this year to expand the roads and bridges. Dubai is also building a
14 billion dirham metro, due to open in 2009, and Abdul Razzak said there were plans to improve the bus network and maybe introduce highway tolls.
"The problem will not be solved immediately," he warned. "But we expect a revolution in road works in the next few years."Poor driving skills -- speed limits and lane discipline are largely ignored -- also snarl traffic and make car accidents a leading cause of death in the UAE.
But residents and traffic experts say the main problem is the apparent lack of a master plan, and this allows major real estate projects to be built before access to them is sorted out.
"There is a serious lack of strategic planning here," said university professor Erika Berner, an American who has driven in some of the biggest and busiest cities in the United States. "Dubai is a young city and should have figured it out. It's not an excuse that other cities have this problem."
Investment bank EFG Hermes says residential projects worth at least $50 billion, and including 85,000 homes, will be built over the next four years.
Brian Scudder of Oryx real estate advises customers to check out the road networks before buying a property. "The vast majority will be serviced appropriately," he said. "But it will get worse before it gets better, and it will get better." (Additional reporting by Richard Dean)
Post Edited (yellow_bird) : 10/30/2005 1:54:59 PM GMT