Flexible working hours and incentives for more children to use school buses are part of plans to take vehicles off the roads and ease congestion in Dubai.
Announced by the Dubai Executive Council, several projects aim to build on economic growth and the city’s prime reputation for global tourism as a pivotal transport hub.
A crucial foundation of the project is to improve traffic flow in the emirate, by easing choke-points at peak times.
Introducing flexible working hours could be a game-changer
Shireen Ahmad,
38, from Jordan
Plans include the development of priority bus routes to improve trip times by 59 per cent, and encouraging more pupils to use buses to improve traffic flow around schools by 13 per cent.
Introducing flexible working hours and remote working are other policies being analysed to take more traffic off the roads.
“Dubai represents a bridge between North, South, East and West. It provides state-of-the-art infrastructure for companies, setting the foundation for global expansion,” said Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai.
“We aim to achieve balanced economic and social development through placing people at the heart of progress and by engaging Dubai’s community in designing its future.”
According to a recent YouGov survey, almost half of UAE workers – 46 per cent – work remotely in some capacity.
Public opinion
To gauge public opinion, the Roads and Transport Authority will survey those living in Dubai to assess when they are most likely to be driving and which areas need improvement.
It is the second survey, commissioned in seven months, to engage the public in traffic calming measures.
In October, private sector workers were contacted by Dubai Statistic Centre, to take part in a similar authority road traffic survey.
Confidential data obtained from the survey will be used to shape future traffic requirements for the emirate.
Respondents have been asked to take part in the 10-minute questionnaire, revealing their company position, personal details, current flexible working options and how they are utilised.
Nora Khalid, 47, from Egypt, who drives to Dubai every day from Ajman, said introducing a plan for flexible working hours could make a significant difference for commuters.
“By staggering start and end times not only in businesses but also schools, commuters could avoid peak rush hours, reducing congestion on the roads,” she told The National.
“Given that my office already has flexible hours, a structured system where schools would have different start times and where employees can choose to start their day earlier or later could be beneficial.”
Addressing driving behaviours on the roads is also crucial to improving traffic, Ms Khalid said.
“Introducing stricter rules to enforce lane discipline and discourage rubbernecking could also improve traffic flow and reduce delays because most congestions on my way are often caused by misbehaving drivers,” she said.
Shireen Ahmad, 38, from Jordan, who has fixed working hours from 8am to 5pm and drives from Ajman to Silicon Oasis in Dubai each day said her routine contributed significantly to long commute times.
“Introducing flexible working hours could be a game-changer,” she said.
One approach, she suggested, could be to allow employees to start their workday between 7am and 10am and finish between 4pm and 7pm.
“This helps me avoid the peak traffic periods, potentially cutting down my travel time,” she said.
“Also encouraging a work-from-home option for a few days a week could further reduce the need to commute daily.
“Implementing such policies would not only ease traffic congestion but also improve overall work-life balance for many employees facing similar challenges.”
Cutting school run congestion
The Indian High Group of Schools, which has three campuses in Dubai, said it was committed to tackling school run congestion.
The not-for-profit group owns their fleet of buses and aims to make school transport affordable for families.
"We haven't increased our bus fees in three years. This is significant as fuel prices have gone up,” said Punit Vasu, Indian High Group of Schools' chief executive.
"There's a scarcity of spare parts post-pandemic and it's not easy to get spare parts, so the cost of replaceable and spare parts has gone up. A majority of the 13,000 pupils who attend their schools use school buses or public transport. “We do specific things to help and encourage pupils to take the metro,” said Mr Vasu.
"Pupils get discounted cards. But, there are intersections that they have to cross between the school and the metro. We deploy our marshals allowing all the pupils in that area to cross the roads safely."
Conference congestion
Another crucial area for congestion is around the Dubai World Trade Centre, which continues to be used for major events.
Tens of thousands of visitors pour into Zabeel at different times of the year, many using the already busy Sheikh Zayed Road at peak times, to visit set-piece conferences like Arab Health, Gitex and the recent Arabian Travel Market.
The Dubai Exhibition Centre’s south and north complexes in Expo City have a combined capacity for about 31,000 people for events, with transport links through Dubai Metro and roads, along with vast car parking options.
However, major events continue to be staged at DWTC.
That could change with work under way to develop Al Maktoum International Airport into a major regional transport hub in Dubai South, making DEX a more convenient conference destination in the near future for many.
The airport is being developed at Dh128 billion and aims to serve 260 million passengers a year once complete.
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Surianah's top five jazz artists
Billie Holliday: for the burn and also the way she told stories.
Thelonius Monk: for his earnestness.
Duke Ellington: for his edge and spirituality.
Louis Armstrong: his legacy is undeniable. He is considered as one of the most revolutionary and influential musicians.
Terence Blanchard: very political - a lot of jazz musicians are making protest music right now.
Brief scores:
Toss: Sindhis, elected to field first
Kerala Knights 103-7 (10 ov)
Parnell 59 not out; Tambe 5-15
Sindhis 104-1 (7.4 ov)
Watson 50 not out, Devcich 49
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Day 1 results:
Open Men (bonus points in brackets)
New Zealand 125 (1) beat UAE 111 (3)
India 111 (4) beat Singapore 75 (0)
South Africa 66 (2) beat Sri Lanka 57 (2)
Australia 126 (4) beat Malaysia -16 (0)
Open Women
New Zealand 64 (2) beat South Africa 57 (2)
England 69 (3) beat UAE 63 (1)
Australia 124 (4) beat UAE 23 (0)
New Zealand 74 (2) beat England 55 (2)
Indian construction workers stranded in Ajman with unpaid dues
COMPANY%20PROFILE
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Killing of Qassem Suleimani
Voy!%20Voy!%20Voy!
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Ten10 Cricket League
Venue and schedule Sharjah Cricket Stadium, December 14 to 17
Teams
Maratha Arabians Leading player: Virender Sehwag; Top picks: Mohammed Amir, Imad Wasim; UAE players: Shaiman Anwar, Zahoor Khan
Bengal Lions Leading player: Sarfraz Ahmed; Top picks: Sunil Narine, Mustafizur Rahman; UAE players: Mohammed Naveed, Rameez Shahzad
Kerala Kings Leading player: Eoin Morgan; Top picks: Kieron Pollard, Sohail Tanvir; UAE players: Rohan Mustafa, Imran Haider
Pakhtoons Leading player: Shahid Afridi; Top picks: Fakhar Zaman, Tamim Iqbal; UAE players: Amjad Javed, Saqlain Haider
Punjabi Legends Leading player: Shoaib Malik; Top picks: Hasan Ali, Chris Jordan; UAE players: Ghulam Shabber, Shareef Asadullah
Team Sri Lanka Cricket Will be made up of Colombo players who won island’s domestic limited-overs competition
UAE central contracts
Full time contracts
Rohan Mustafa, Ahmed Raza, Mohammed Usman, Chirag Suri, Mohammed Boota, Sultan Ahmed, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmed, Zawar Farid
Part time contracts
Aryan Lakra, Ansh Tandon, Karthik Meiyappan, Rahul Bhatia, Alishan Sharafu, CP Rizwaan, Basil Hameed, Matiullah, Fahad Nawaz, Sanchit Sharma
Pathaan
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if you go
The flights
Etihad and Emirates fly direct from the UAE to Seoul from Dh3,775 return, including taxes
The package
Ski Safari offers a seven-night ski package to Korea, including five nights at the Dragon Valley Hotel in Yongpyong and two nights at Seoul CenterMark hotel, from £720 (Dh3,488) per person, including transfers, based on two travelling in January
The info
Visit www.gokorea.co.uk
THE SPECS
Engine: 1.5-litre, four-cylinder turbo
Transmission: seven-speed dual clutch automatic
Power: 169bhp
Torque: 250Nm
Price: Dh54,500
On sale: now
CREW
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Red flags
- Promises of high, fixed or 'guaranteed' returns.
- Unregulated structured products or complex investments often used to bypass traditional safeguards.
- Lack of clear information, vague language, no access to audited financials.
- Overseas companies targeting investors in other jurisdictions - this can make legal recovery difficult.
- Hard-selling tactics - creating urgency, offering 'exclusive' deals.
Courtesy: Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
Persuasion
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Global state-owned investor ranking by size
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United States
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China
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UAE
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Japan
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Norway
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Canada
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Singapore
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Australia
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Saudi Arabia
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South Korea
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In numbers: China in Dubai
The number of Chinese people living in Dubai: An estimated 200,000
Number of Chinese people in International City: Almost 50,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2018/19: 120,000
Daily visitors to Dragon Mart in 2010: 20,000
Percentage increase in visitors in eight years: 500 per cent
PROFILE OF CURE.FIT
Started: July 2016
Founders: Mukesh Bansal and Ankit Nagori
Based: Bangalore, India
Sector: Health & wellness
Size: 500 employees
Investment: $250 million
Investors: Accel, Oaktree Capital (US); Chiratae Ventures, Epiq Capital, Innoven Capital, Kalaari Capital, Kotak Mahindra Bank, Piramal Group’s Anand Piramal, Pratithi Investment Trust, Ratan Tata (India); and Unilever Ventures (Unilever’s global venture capital arm)
The Bio
Ram Buxani earned a salary of 125 rupees per month in 1959
Indian currency was then legal tender in the Trucial States.
He received the wages plus food, accommodation, a haircut and cinema ticket twice a month and actuals for shaving and laundry expenses
Buxani followed in his father’s footsteps when he applied for a job overseas
His father Jivat Ram worked in general merchandize store in Gibraltar and the Canary Islands in the early 1930s
Buxani grew the UAE business over several sectors from retail to financial services but is attached to the original textile business
He talks in detail about natural fibres, the texture of cloth, mirrorwork and embroidery
Buxani lives by a simple philosophy – do good to all
The major Hashd factions linked to Iran:
Badr Organisation: Seen as the most militarily capable faction in the Hashd. Iraqi Shiite exiles opposed to Saddam Hussein set up the group in Tehran in the early 1980s as the Badr Corps under the supervision of the Iran Revolutionary Guards Corps (IRGC). The militia exalts Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei but intermittently cooperated with the US military.
Saraya Al Salam (Peace Brigade): Comprised of former members of the officially defunct Mahdi Army, a militia that was commanded by Iraqi cleric Moqtada Al Sadr and fought US and Iraqi government and other forces between 2004 and 2008. As part of a political overhaul aimed as casting Mr Al Sadr as a more nationalist and less sectarian figure, the cleric formed Saraya Al Salam in 2014. The group’s relations with Iran has been volatile.
Kataeb Hezbollah: The group, which is fighting on behalf of the Bashar Al Assad government in Syria, traces its origins to attacks on US forces in Iraq in 2004 and adopts a tough stance against Washington, calling the United States “the enemy of humanity”.
Asaeb Ahl Al Haq: An offshoot of the Mahdi Army active in Syria. Asaeb Ahl Al Haq’s leader Qais al Khazali was a student of Mr Al Moqtada’s late father Mohammed Sadeq Al Sadr, a prominent Shiite cleric who was killed during Saddam Hussein’s rule.
Harakat Hezbollah Al Nujaba: Formed in 2013 to fight alongside Mr Al Assad’s loyalists in Syria before joining the Hashd. The group is seen as among the most ideological and sectarian-driven Hashd militias in Syria and is the major recruiter of foreign fighters to Syria.
Saraya Al Khorasani: The ICRG formed Saraya Al Khorasani in the mid-1990s and the group is seen as the most ideologically attached to Iran among Tehran’s satellites in Iraq.
(Source: The Wilson Centre, the International Centre for the Study of Radicalisation)
The specs: 2019 Mercedes-Benz GLE
Price, base / as tested Dh274,000 (estimate)
Engine 3.0-litre inline six-cylinder
Gearbox Nine-speed automatic
Power 245hp @ 4,200rpm
Torque 500Nm @ 1,600rpm
Fuel economy, combined 6.4L / 100km
BMW M5 specs
Engine: 4.4-litre twin-turbo V-8 petrol enging with additional electric motor
Power: 727hp
Torque: 1,000Nm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 10.6L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh650,000
Ain Issa camp:
- Established in 2016
- Houses 13,309 people, 2,092 families, 62 per cent children
- Of the adult population, 49 per cent men, 51 per cent women (not including foreigners annexe)
- Most from Deir Ezzor and Raqqa
- 950 foreigners linked to ISIS and their families
- NGO Blumont runs camp management for the UN
- One of the nine official (UN recognised) camps in the region
Jawan
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The%20Hunger%20Games%3A%20The%20Ballad%20of%20Songbirds%20%26%20Snakes
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MADAME%20WEB
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Armies of Sand
By Kenneth Pollack (Oxford University Press)
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Dhadak 2
Director: Shazia Iqbal
Starring: Siddhant Chaturvedi, Triptii Dimri
Rating: 1/5
ENGLAND SQUAD
Team: 15 Mike Brown, 14 Anthony Watson, 13 Ben Te'o, 12 Owen Farrell, 11 Jonny May, 10 George Ford, 9 Ben Youngs, 1 Mako Vunipola, 2 Dylan Hartley, 3 Dan Cole, 4 Joe Launchbury, 5 Maro Itoje, 6 Courtney Lawes, 7 Chris Robshaw, 8 Sam Simmonds
Replacements 16 Jamie George, 17 Alec Hepburn, 18 Harry Williams, 19 George Kruis, 20 Sam Underhill, 21 Danny Care, 22 Jonathan Joseph, 23 Jack Nowell
Mobile phone packages comparison
MATCH INFO
Uefa Champions League last-16, second leg:
Real Madrid 1 (Asensio 70'), Ajax 4 (Ziyech 7', Neres 18', Tadic 62', Schone 72')
Ajax win 5-3 on aggregate
