Thursday, November 09, 2006

“A critic is a man who knows the way but can't drive the car.”

Quick run to your cars! Go for a free ride around Dubai while it lasts. The Gulf News reported next week motorists will have to pay a tariff to drive at specific hours and on specific roads. It is going to cost AED 4 to be precise which is just little more than a dollar.


I can visualize Cuba Gooding Jr. screaming "Show me the money" from the movie Jerry Maguire. It would be more economical taking a taxi now, cause after paying the tariff, there is still the parking fees which is again AED 2 (50 cents) for an hour. God help you if you stay on a street with the toll machines. It would cost you a fortune trying to leave or get back to your own home! It is said the price of development never comes cheap or without pain!


“It's not hard to meet expenses, they're everywhere.”


Over the last week there has been a tremendous crackdown on errant drivers across Dubai, and it has become even more harder to get a driving license. But does that make life easier on the roads here? No!


“Don't drive as if you owned the road, Drive as if you owned the car”


Who today, heeds to the above line of thinking? A majority of drivers in the UAE believe they are Kings of the Road by divine right.


What happened to the good old days of traffic on the Dubai roads where 4 cars was a jam at a red light? But now, just 50 cars or a odd 100 cars in front at a red light makes me pray "when will these automatic self driving cars be ready for mass production? " Radio shows get on my nerves with helpful driving alerts such as -"There are traffic jams everywhere!" Talk about stating the obvious!

The driving scenario does not get any better! With the onset of winter in Dubai, foggy weather is quiet common on the roads of Dubai. What however even more common here is, how drivers think they have infra red or radar vision, driving through the fog as though they were cruising down an empty highway at top speed!


Gulf News reported:

Dubai Police's Command and Control Room reported more than 225 minor accidents ... Police blamed the accidents on drivers who were speeding, ignoring traffic rules and failing to leave enough space between vehicles.


Just over 225 accidents! I think it is something about the Dubai culture which makes people think that they are somehow related to Superman, by sharing his super power vision.

But remember...


“Never drive faster than your guardian angel can fly”



1 comment:

Anonymous said...

They can keep building all the metro railways they like and introducing all the new tolls they can think of but unfortunately...the people of Dubai love their cars too much to actually ditch the car for a small walk or hop onto a bus.
And the authorities are so very encouraging, aren't they?...you can't share cabs or car pool...I thought they wanted to decrease the traffic...oh but they don't want people saving their money!! If people save cash by sharing a ride, how will they make their billions? Hence, tolls are introduced...