A couple of recent overseas stories caught my eye:
One says: "There is a growing unease...against those sunburnt northern European tourists who offend the local population by walking in the streets, dining in restaurants and even doing their shopping in little more than beachwear."
The second says: "Lured by stories of the good salaries and advanced skills they could gain...they had paid high fees to (home country) brokers...believing they could earn many times more than they earn at home and return as heroes. But far from being a workers’ paradise (it) has been a country of hardship and discrimination for Mr Zhou and many of his compatriots, who are often forced to work long hours in gruelling conditions for less than minimum wages."
Typical stories about Dubai you might think.
The first is about Spain , the second is about Japan.
Spain is here.
Japan is here.
Showing posts with label reality check. Show all posts
Showing posts with label reality check. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 24, 2010
Thursday, January 21, 2010
More on driving standards
"Transport Minister says the results show that while most drivers are well-informed about road safety, many are choosing to ignore the warnings."
Very true.
But in another of those 'it ain't only Dubai' moments, it's the Australian Federal Transport Minister talking about Aussie drivers.
I've long complained about the lack of lane discipline in Oz, drivers doing much the same things wrong as here in Dubai.
A single lane road widening into two or more lanes sees the majority of drivers immediately dashing to get into the wrong, overtaking, lane. Slow drivers sit in the overtaking lanes, on freeways and other roads.
Every person I've asked who took lessons and passed their driving test in Oz, without exception, has said that lane driving was not taught or even mentioned.
A couple of recent stories give an idea of how serious the problem is on our roads.
A survey has found Australian drivers are continuing to ignore warnings about road safety and engage in risky and illegal behaviour on the nation's roads.
Almost two thirds of respondents admitted to regularly using their mobiles while driving, twenty-five per cent of respondents felt it was acceptable to speed in some circumstances, sixteen per cent had fallen asleep at the wheel and four per cent believed they had driven while over the legal blood alcohol limit. Almost twenty five percent of drivers have been booked for speeding in the past two years,
I'm sure it's not just in Oz either, many countries have similarly dangerous drivers.
Not just dangerous but incompetent.
How's this for leaving an office block car park...
Photo. Sydney Morning Herald
The driver claims she 'lost control' of her car.
Very true.
But in another of those 'it ain't only Dubai' moments, it's the Australian Federal Transport Minister talking about Aussie drivers.
I've long complained about the lack of lane discipline in Oz, drivers doing much the same things wrong as here in Dubai.
A single lane road widening into two or more lanes sees the majority of drivers immediately dashing to get into the wrong, overtaking, lane. Slow drivers sit in the overtaking lanes, on freeways and other roads.
Every person I've asked who took lessons and passed their driving test in Oz, without exception, has said that lane driving was not taught or even mentioned.
A couple of recent stories give an idea of how serious the problem is on our roads.
A survey has found Australian drivers are continuing to ignore warnings about road safety and engage in risky and illegal behaviour on the nation's roads.
Almost two thirds of respondents admitted to regularly using their mobiles while driving, twenty-five per cent of respondents felt it was acceptable to speed in some circumstances, sixteen per cent had fallen asleep at the wheel and four per cent believed they had driven while over the legal blood alcohol limit. Almost twenty five percent of drivers have been booked for speeding in the past two years,
I'm sure it's not just in Oz either, many countries have similarly dangerous drivers.
Not just dangerous but incompetent.
How's this for leaving an office block car park...
Photo. Sydney Morning Herald
The driver claims she 'lost control' of her car.
I would have thought that if you're driving sensibly and competently out of a car park it's very difficult to 'lose control' of the car.
We're right to complain about the poor driving standards here but we shouldn't fool ourselves into thinking it doesn't happen elsewhere.
Friday, June 19, 2009
Reality check
I'm not the only one who complains about the standard of customer service we have to put up with in Dubai, it's a fairly common complaint.
But I also point out every so often that many of the things we suffer from in Dubai really aren't any different to those people around the world come up against.
An example of that is the current economic crisis.
Plenty of people talk about how Dubai is suffering from the downturn. Much of that is with undisguised glee which, incidentally, surprises and annoys me. To gloat about other people's misfortune isn't acceptable.
But we're not suffering any more than the rest of the world, in fact we're weathering the storm somewhat better than many places. Property price slump, unemployment, money hard to get, cancelled projects are all happening worldwide.
A couple of examples which confirm that Dubai really isn't very different have just popped up, both from a blogger I enjoy reading. First, have a look at Keith's comment on my last posting about the lack of safety.
Then read Keith's post on the customer service he experiences in the UK. It's an infuriating example which had me giggling as I read it.
I won't copy it here, just click on this link to read about his attempt to spend money in his local garden centre: At Home with Keith.
But I also point out every so often that many of the things we suffer from in Dubai really aren't any different to those people around the world come up against.
An example of that is the current economic crisis.
Plenty of people talk about how Dubai is suffering from the downturn. Much of that is with undisguised glee which, incidentally, surprises and annoys me. To gloat about other people's misfortune isn't acceptable.
But we're not suffering any more than the rest of the world, in fact we're weathering the storm somewhat better than many places. Property price slump, unemployment, money hard to get, cancelled projects are all happening worldwide.
A couple of examples which confirm that Dubai really isn't very different have just popped up, both from a blogger I enjoy reading. First, have a look at Keith's comment on my last posting about the lack of safety.
Then read Keith's post on the customer service he experiences in the UK. It's an infuriating example which had me giggling as I read it.
I won't copy it here, just click on this link to read about his attempt to spend money in his local garden centre: At Home with Keith.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
Another reality check
Of course we complain about things which aren't as they should be in Dubai, and why not.
But it's worth noting that I'm sure we'll all complain in exactly the same way, and probably about much the same things, when we go back to our home countries.
Problems aren't unique to Dubai by any means, which is why I do a 'reality check' posting every so often.
From today's Sydney Morning Herald, a story that's familiar to us here in Dubai, although the road rage reaction is, at least in my experience, less of a problem here than in many other countries.
"A survey of Sydney motorists shows one in five engages in "road rage payback". This is where a motorist tailgates another driver for being dangerous or aggressive.
The practice has quadrupled in the past decade, and...68 per cent of those who retaliate believe their actions are justified.
The survey showed motorists more likely to experience antisocial behaviour than ever before: 31 per cent said they had been followed, 12 per cent said they had been forced off the road and 10 per cent said their car had been deliberately damaged.
Just one example quoted:
"I was merging at about 100 kilometres [an hour] and this guy overtook me just as we were merging," said Sarah, who has received anger management counselling. "I started flashing my lights a him - having a good verbal go - and he just slammed the brakes right in front of me. If I hadn't been looking straight at him there would have been an accident. I had my kids in the car. He had his kids in the car."
Crash index surveys showed traffic congestion to be the primary cause.
The story is here.
But it's worth noting that I'm sure we'll all complain in exactly the same way, and probably about much the same things, when we go back to our home countries.
Problems aren't unique to Dubai by any means, which is why I do a 'reality check' posting every so often.
From today's Sydney Morning Herald, a story that's familiar to us here in Dubai, although the road rage reaction is, at least in my experience, less of a problem here than in many other countries.
"A survey of Sydney motorists shows one in five engages in "road rage payback". This is where a motorist tailgates another driver for being dangerous or aggressive.
The practice has quadrupled in the past decade, and...68 per cent of those who retaliate believe their actions are justified.
The survey showed motorists more likely to experience antisocial behaviour than ever before: 31 per cent said they had been followed, 12 per cent said they had been forced off the road and 10 per cent said their car had been deliberately damaged.
Just one example quoted:
"I was merging at about 100 kilometres [an hour] and this guy overtook me just as we were merging," said Sarah, who has received anger management counselling. "I started flashing my lights a him - having a good verbal go - and he just slammed the brakes right in front of me. If I hadn't been looking straight at him there would have been an accident. I had my kids in the car. He had his kids in the car."
Crash index surveys showed traffic congestion to be the primary cause.
The story is here.
Tuesday, August 12, 2008
They're everywhere.
I've been talking about the morons we get driving here in Dubai, but here's a reminder that we don't have exclusivity.
There's an AP report that tells us:
A grandmother has been arrested for driving around the parking lot of a Florida grocery store with a three -year-old child sitting on the roof of the car.
Monroe County Sheriff's Office deputies were called to the Publix store Tuesday and arrested a 54-year-old woman after she was driving around with her three-year-old granddaughter on the roof of her car.
The woman said she would never let anything hurt her granddaughter. She says she was driving at "snail-speed" and holding the child's leg.
Authorities say the woman told police she was giving the child some air and letting her have fun.
AP
There's an AP report that tells us:
A grandmother has been arrested for driving around the parking lot of a Florida grocery store with a three -year-old child sitting on the roof of the car.
Monroe County Sheriff's Office deputies were called to the Publix store Tuesday and arrested a 54-year-old woman after she was driving around with her three-year-old granddaughter on the roof of her car.
The woman said she would never let anything hurt her granddaughter. She says she was driving at "snail-speed" and holding the child's leg.
Authorities say the woman told police she was giving the child some air and letting her have fun.
AP
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Reality check
It's easy to forget the reality of the real world when you live in Dubai, so when I come back from a trip overseas I usually post a reality check...
In Antibes, in a little very ordinary cafe, not a five-star hotel, this cost €12.20, which is Dh71
Parking in the UK, well a day in the office at this industrial estate will cost you over Dh50. Park for over twelve hours and it'll cost you Dh175
In a small town in France, again not a five-star hotel but a very ordinary pub. A bottle of beer Dh35, a cappuccino Dh26, a whisky, gin, vodka is Dh35 and a tonic water is Dh17.
And I thought I'd dispel what is obviously an urban myth, that the French don't and won't speak English. Here's proof that they do:
In Antibes, in a little very ordinary cafe, not a five-star hotel, this cost €12.20, which is Dh71
Parking in the UK, well a day in the office at this industrial estate will cost you over Dh50. Park for over twelve hours and it'll cost you Dh175
In a small town in France, again not a five-star hotel but a very ordinary pub. A bottle of beer Dh35, a cappuccino Dh26, a whisky, gin, vodka is Dh35 and a tonic water is Dh17.
Then there's the traffic:
And I thought I'd dispel what is obviously an urban myth, that the French don't and won't speak English. Here's proof that they do:
Tuesday, May 06, 2008
Reality check posting continued...
In today's Sydney Morning Herald there's a story that sort-of continues my Sunday posting.
There are stories within a story too.
It's headed Hunt for road rage shooter and includes this information:
"Three teenagers are lucky to be alive after a gunman fired at their car in a terrifying daylight road rage incident in Sydney's west, police say.
As traffic had piled up behind, the 18-year-old P-plate driver was forced to mount the pavement to escape and almost ran over three pedestrians.
Two men, one armed with a black pistol, jumped from a white Holden Commodore and advanced on the teenagers' silver Subaru WRX...The armed man fired shots at the car before the pair jumped back in their car and sped off.
They are looking for a white VT model Holden Commodore, possibly a V8, with chrome mag wheels, tinted windows and black and gold number plates.
A 'P-plate' driver is someone who has just passed the driving test so they have to carry a P-plate on their car for eighteen months. The 18 year old had therefore recently passed his test but was driving a Subaru WRX. They accelerate from zero to 100kph in less than 5 seconds.
That frightens me.
The blacked-out, chromed-wheeled Holden Commodore is re-badged here as the Chevrolet Lumina. If it was a V8 as suggested it's 5.7 litres, powerful and quick.
So we have two powerful cars dashing about crowded streets, one driven by an almost learner driver carrying two 16 year old girls.
Who nearly ran over three pedestrians as he drove on the footpath to escape a gunman in a road rage incident.
Not for the first time I'm just sitting here shaking my head in disbelief.
The story is here.
There are stories within a story too.
It's headed Hunt for road rage shooter and includes this information:
"Three teenagers are lucky to be alive after a gunman fired at their car in a terrifying daylight road rage incident in Sydney's west, police say.
As traffic had piled up behind, the 18-year-old P-plate driver was forced to mount the pavement to escape and almost ran over three pedestrians.
Two men, one armed with a black pistol, jumped from a white Holden Commodore and advanced on the teenagers' silver Subaru WRX...The armed man fired shots at the car before the pair jumped back in their car and sped off.
They are looking for a white VT model Holden Commodore, possibly a V8, with chrome mag wheels, tinted windows and black and gold number plates.
A 'P-plate' driver is someone who has just passed the driving test so they have to carry a P-plate on their car for eighteen months. The 18 year old had therefore recently passed his test but was driving a Subaru WRX. They accelerate from zero to 100kph in less than 5 seconds.
That frightens me.
The blacked-out, chromed-wheeled Holden Commodore is re-badged here as the Chevrolet Lumina. If it was a V8 as suggested it's 5.7 litres, powerful and quick.
So we have two powerful cars dashing about crowded streets, one driven by an almost learner driver carrying two 16 year old girls.
Who nearly ran over three pedestrians as he drove on the footpath to escape a gunman in a road rage incident.
Not for the first time I'm just sitting here shaking my head in disbelief.
The story is here.
Sunday, May 04, 2008
Another reality check
We complain about the problems we face in Dubai, and rightly so. But too often I hear people making an unfavourable comparison, saying that it's so much worse than 'back home'.
As I've said before in these 'reality check' postings, that isn't true. They're looking back through rose tinted glasses. 'Back home' has many of the same problems, in fact they're often worse than here. And of course, there's the crime...
Here's another example.
'Back home' for me isn't a big city with all the usual big city problems, but the New South Wales Central Coast, a rural area of small seaside holiday towns and villages.
Here are six of the ten news items on the local newspaper's website from the Friday edition.
First, a favourite Dubai topic, traffic.
Clearway gets you nowhere
THOUSANDS of motorists are stuck twice daily in huge traffic jams as the closure of Woy Woy Rd causes gridlock each morning and evening peak period.
Motorists are reporting delays of more than one hour each way and even up to three hours as traffic banks up. They are being forced on to other already clogged alternative arterial roads.
Mum rows her boat to school
WHEN the road you use to drive your daughter to school collapses you put her in your boat.
Since Woy Woy Rd washed away at Bulls Hill last week, Irene Bakker, of Horsfield Bay, has rowed her daughter across Woy Woy Bay each day to school.
It is one of the many creative measures Horsfield Bay residents have employed to get around.
Then there's our other favourite topic of conversation in Dubai, accommodation costs. There are a couple of stories in the paper...
Bid to ease rental pain
THE cost of rent has soared 10 per cent across the Central Coast in the past year with vacancy rates the lowest in years.
Cut housing taxes
THE State Government must cut taxes which are pushing the cost of housing beyond people's reach, Terrigal State Liberal MP Chris Hartcher has said.
And something we don't often have to talk about in Dubai, crime - and especially violent crime.
Police investigating horrific stabbing
TUGGERAH Lakes police have refused to release details about a horrific stabbing at Shelly Beach on Wednesday.
A woman, 39, could lose her eye after she was stabbed in the head after an altercation in the car park about 1am.
League bans night games
WOY WOY and Umina Beach rugby league teams won't play each other on a Saturday night for the remainder of the season following a series of drunken brawls at matches.
Of course we should keep pointing out things in Dubai that could and should be improved. But if we make comparisons with other places we should at least be honest about the reality there.
The original stories.
As I've said before in these 'reality check' postings, that isn't true. They're looking back through rose tinted glasses. 'Back home' has many of the same problems, in fact they're often worse than here. And of course, there's the crime...
Here's another example.
'Back home' for me isn't a big city with all the usual big city problems, but the New South Wales Central Coast, a rural area of small seaside holiday towns and villages.
Here are six of the ten news items on the local newspaper's website from the Friday edition.
First, a favourite Dubai topic, traffic.
Clearway gets you nowhere
THOUSANDS of motorists are stuck twice daily in huge traffic jams as the closure of Woy Woy Rd causes gridlock each morning and evening peak period.
Motorists are reporting delays of more than one hour each way and even up to three hours as traffic banks up. They are being forced on to other already clogged alternative arterial roads.
Mum rows her boat to school
WHEN the road you use to drive your daughter to school collapses you put her in your boat.
Since Woy Woy Rd washed away at Bulls Hill last week, Irene Bakker, of Horsfield Bay, has rowed her daughter across Woy Woy Bay each day to school.
It is one of the many creative measures Horsfield Bay residents have employed to get around.
Then there's our other favourite topic of conversation in Dubai, accommodation costs. There are a couple of stories in the paper...
Bid to ease rental pain
THE cost of rent has soared 10 per cent across the Central Coast in the past year with vacancy rates the lowest in years.
Cut housing taxes
THE State Government must cut taxes which are pushing the cost of housing beyond people's reach, Terrigal State Liberal MP Chris Hartcher has said.
And something we don't often have to talk about in Dubai, crime - and especially violent crime.
Police investigating horrific stabbing
TUGGERAH Lakes police have refused to release details about a horrific stabbing at Shelly Beach on Wednesday.
A woman, 39, could lose her eye after she was stabbed in the head after an altercation in the car park about 1am.
League bans night games
WOY WOY and Umina Beach rugby league teams won't play each other on a Saturday night for the remainder of the season following a series of drunken brawls at matches.
Of course we should keep pointing out things in Dubai that could and should be improved. But if we make comparisons with other places we should at least be honest about the reality there.
The original stories.
Monday, April 07, 2008
The good side of Dubai
Strolling along the beach I was reminded of the good side of Dubai.
One thing was the combination of weather, beach, warm sea.
The other was something we should never take for granted, given the situation in much of the rest of the world.
Security. Lack of crime.
For example, there've been many reports from cities around the world of teenagers in particular being attacked and beaten up by gangs stealing their trainers.
Near Burj Al Arab a teacher had a bunch of schoolkids on the beach...
One thing was the combination of weather, beach, warm sea.
The other was something we should never take for granted, given the situation in much of the rest of the world.
Security. Lack of crime.
For example, there've been many reports from cities around the world of teenagers in particular being attacked and beaten up by gangs stealing their trainers.
Near Burj Al Arab a teacher had a bunch of schoolkids on the beach...
Thursday, March 20, 2008
Reality check
We're in a bit of a fantasy bubble in Dubai sometimes, forgetting the reality of what happens 'back home' and thinking the problems we face are unique to Dubai.
I was reminded of that by a couple of articles in overseas papers recently.
First, in my home town in Australia. Our sort-of equivalent Sheikh Zayed Road is the F3 Freeway going north from Sydney.
The old original Pacific Highway has been allowed to fall into disrepair since the opening of the freeway, which has long stretches with no turn-off. That means that whenever there's an accident we get this:
The same happens when we have one of our frequent summer bushfires. People have been stuck there for hours - I recall one accident that had kilometres of vehicles trapped there in searing temperatures for eight hours.
The Central Coast Express Advocate has a story about the plans.
DESPERATE drivers hope the State Government's $28 million plan to divert traffic on the F3 during major emergencies will curb lengthy closures.
But many warn it is not a silver bullet to solve the problem and does not negate the need for an alternative route between Sydney and the Central Coast.
The government has released its plan to divert traffic to the opposite side of the F3 during emergencies.Traffic will be diverted around a blockage, typically caused by an accident or bushfire, at one of 19 crossover points.
The plan has drawn mild applause from commuters, the NRMA, the Opposition and the NSW Business Chamber Central Coast.But they said it was not a new idea and there was a need for another major route.
"The crossover points are only a Band-Aid solution," Terrigal State Liberal MP Chris Hartcher said.
Those are things we complain about here in Dubai - not enough roads, not enough alternative routes, gridlock when there's a problem.
Then another subject we complain about here, not allowing emergency vehicles to pass, was covered in the London Evening Standard.
London ambulances are involved in an average of more than four accidents a day, figures show.
Experts say the problem is getting worse because other drivers are increasingly unwilling to get out of the way of emergency vehicles.
"I suppose people are so frustrated stuck in traffic that they lose any sense of proportion but we are seeing some of the consequences of that."
If you're interested, the original stories are here and
here.
I was reminded of that by a couple of articles in overseas papers recently.
First, in my home town in Australia. Our sort-of equivalent Sheikh Zayed Road is the F3 Freeway going north from Sydney.
The old original Pacific Highway has been allowed to fall into disrepair since the opening of the freeway, which has long stretches with no turn-off. That means that whenever there's an accident we get this:
The same happens when we have one of our frequent summer bushfires. People have been stuck there for hours - I recall one accident that had kilometres of vehicles trapped there in searing temperatures for eight hours.
The Central Coast Express Advocate has a story about the plans.
DESPERATE drivers hope the State Government's $28 million plan to divert traffic on the F3 during major emergencies will curb lengthy closures.
But many warn it is not a silver bullet to solve the problem and does not negate the need for an alternative route between Sydney and the Central Coast.
The government has released its plan to divert traffic to the opposite side of the F3 during emergencies.Traffic will be diverted around a blockage, typically caused by an accident or bushfire, at one of 19 crossover points.
The plan has drawn mild applause from commuters, the NRMA, the Opposition and the NSW Business Chamber Central Coast.But they said it was not a new idea and there was a need for another major route.
"The crossover points are only a Band-Aid solution," Terrigal State Liberal MP Chris Hartcher said.
Those are things we complain about here in Dubai - not enough roads, not enough alternative routes, gridlock when there's a problem.
Then another subject we complain about here, not allowing emergency vehicles to pass, was covered in the London Evening Standard.
London ambulances are involved in an average of more than four accidents a day, figures show.
Experts say the problem is getting worse because other drivers are increasingly unwilling to get out of the way of emergency vehicles.
"I suppose people are so frustrated stuck in traffic that they lose any sense of proportion but we are seeing some of the consequences of that."
If you're interested, the original stories are here and
here.
Sunday, February 03, 2008
It ain't just Dubai
We complain about the traffic in Dubai - and rightly so, I shall continue to complain I'm sure. But some of the complaints I've read give the impression that Dubai's problems are unique, or the worst possible.
We're in a fantasy bubble in Dubai and so many people lose perspective of the bigger world. My home town had problems last week which puts our traffic situation into some perspective.
Commuting into Sydney and out again in the evening is a nightmare, in all directions. There's a toll on Sydney Harbour Bridge and on many of the freeways. Sound familiar? The tolls are much more than Dh4 too.
There are just two roads going north from Sydney through the Central Coast and to Newcastle, which is a commuter area. They are the Pacific Highway and the F3 Freeway. When the F3 was completed the Pacific Highway was allowed to fall into disrepair, which means in reality there are one-and-a-half roads north.
If, as happens all too frequently, there's a major incident on the F3 it's total chaos. Sound familiar?
Last week the papers reported:
Commuters trapped again
TWO days of traffic chaos on the F3 have reignited calls for a second freeway to Sydney.
A truck crash closed the F3 for seven hours and stranded thousands of southbound holidaymakers and commuters on Tuesday. On Wednesday a pile-up northbound at Berowra injured 10 people and caused more delays.
Motorists were stuck for up to seven hours in a traffic jam in soaring summer heat after a fiery truck crash closed the F3 freeway north of Sydney on Tuesday.
The 18-tonne Kenworth semi-trailer, carrying a load of waste paper and rags, crashed into a sandstone rockface near the Berowra exit of the F3 about 6.30am, bursting into flames.
Both southbound lanes of the freeway were closed for most of the day, one opening at about 1.30pm and the other at about 4pm.
Motorists who weren't trapped on the freeway headed for the alternative Pacific Highway:
It's like trying to avoid gridlock on Sheikh Zayed Road by using Al Wasl Road!
And it's the RTA that's to blame. Sound familiar?
The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) has been criticised for its handling of the incident, with traffic left banked up for at least 10 kilometres in soaring summer temperatures.
'There is a real duty of care for the RTA for the people who were stuck in this traffic jam,' said Opposition roads spokesman Duncan Gay. 'They cannot just put a sign up, walk away and hope that people will be all right. In a case like this they needed to have extra people with extra directions ... this is the sort of thing they should have been prepared for because frankly it's not unusual for this situation to happen on the F3.'
And does the standard of driving sound familiar?
The driver of the truck, Bill Barry, said he had only taken his eyes off the road for a moment. 'I was reaching down to get a drink out of my fridge.I was sort of coming along and hit the gutter there and that's when I'm into the wall.'
At the height of the blaze, six fire units and 15 crew worked to extinguish the fire in the truck and the burning paper, which had to be pulled apart and hosed down.
A HAZMAT crew was also called in to contain a spill of blazing diesel which ran down the side of the road for about 100 metres.
Where Dubai wins
There was another story that also put Dubai into perspective, something that people living here take for granted.
The lack of crime. And particularly mindless acts of random violence.
Hoons pelt cars with rocks and bottles
A RETIRED couple narrowly escaped serious injury when their car was pelted with rocks.
They were driving home from a friend's house at Tumbi Umbi along the Central Coast Highway at 9.30pm on Monday when they saw three males emerge from the bush beside Wamberal Cemetery.
Bob Watson, 65, of Avoca Beach, said the first rock put a hole in the windscreen while another glanced off the passenger-side corner centimetres from his wife's face. A third left a large dent in their front number plate.
Mr Watson said a young woman's Porsche about 150m in front of their car was also pelted with rocks and beer bottles.
'If it had gone through her open window she could have been killed,' he said. 'Her car was covered in beer, it was sloshed everywhere.'
The senseless act bore striking similarities to a rock-throwing incident on the South Coast which left a promising young beauty therapist permanently disfigured last year.
It's a real plus about living in Dubai.
We're in a fantasy bubble in Dubai and so many people lose perspective of the bigger world. My home town had problems last week which puts our traffic situation into some perspective.
Commuting into Sydney and out again in the evening is a nightmare, in all directions. There's a toll on Sydney Harbour Bridge and on many of the freeways. Sound familiar? The tolls are much more than Dh4 too.
There are just two roads going north from Sydney through the Central Coast and to Newcastle, which is a commuter area. They are the Pacific Highway and the F3 Freeway. When the F3 was completed the Pacific Highway was allowed to fall into disrepair, which means in reality there are one-and-a-half roads north.
If, as happens all too frequently, there's a major incident on the F3 it's total chaos. Sound familiar?
Last week the papers reported:
Commuters trapped again
TWO days of traffic chaos on the F3 have reignited calls for a second freeway to Sydney.
A truck crash closed the F3 for seven hours and stranded thousands of southbound holidaymakers and commuters on Tuesday. On Wednesday a pile-up northbound at Berowra injured 10 people and caused more delays.
Motorists were stuck for up to seven hours in a traffic jam in soaring summer heat after a fiery truck crash closed the F3 freeway north of Sydney on Tuesday.
The 18-tonne Kenworth semi-trailer, carrying a load of waste paper and rags, crashed into a sandstone rockface near the Berowra exit of the F3 about 6.30am, bursting into flames.
Both southbound lanes of the freeway were closed for most of the day, one opening at about 1.30pm and the other at about 4pm.
Motorists who weren't trapped on the freeway headed for the alternative Pacific Highway:
It's like trying to avoid gridlock on Sheikh Zayed Road by using Al Wasl Road!
And it's the RTA that's to blame. Sound familiar?
The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) has been criticised for its handling of the incident, with traffic left banked up for at least 10 kilometres in soaring summer temperatures.
'There is a real duty of care for the RTA for the people who were stuck in this traffic jam,' said Opposition roads spokesman Duncan Gay. 'They cannot just put a sign up, walk away and hope that people will be all right. In a case like this they needed to have extra people with extra directions ... this is the sort of thing they should have been prepared for because frankly it's not unusual for this situation to happen on the F3.'
And does the standard of driving sound familiar?
The driver of the truck, Bill Barry, said he had only taken his eyes off the road for a moment. 'I was reaching down to get a drink out of my fridge.I was sort of coming along and hit the gutter there and that's when I'm into the wall.'
At the height of the blaze, six fire units and 15 crew worked to extinguish the fire in the truck and the burning paper, which had to be pulled apart and hosed down.
A HAZMAT crew was also called in to contain a spill of blazing diesel which ran down the side of the road for about 100 metres.
Where Dubai wins
There was another story that also put Dubai into perspective, something that people living here take for granted.
The lack of crime. And particularly mindless acts of random violence.
Hoons pelt cars with rocks and bottles
A RETIRED couple narrowly escaped serious injury when their car was pelted with rocks.
They were driving home from a friend's house at Tumbi Umbi along the Central Coast Highway at 9.30pm on Monday when they saw three males emerge from the bush beside Wamberal Cemetery.
Bob Watson, 65, of Avoca Beach, said the first rock put a hole in the windscreen while another glanced off the passenger-side corner centimetres from his wife's face. A third left a large dent in their front number plate.
Mr Watson said a young woman's Porsche about 150m in front of their car was also pelted with rocks and beer bottles.
'If it had gone through her open window she could have been killed,' he said. 'Her car was covered in beer, it was sloshed everywhere.'
The senseless act bore striking similarities to a rock-throwing incident on the South Coast which left a promising young beauty therapist permanently disfigured last year.
It's a real plus about living in Dubai.
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
More on prices
It keeps going, this prices in Dubai thing.
To recap, in my earlier posting saying that Dubai wasn't as expensive as many western expats claim, there was a comment about Spinneys here in Dubai selling New Zealand rib-eye steak at the 'rip off' price of Dh65 a kilo.
A New Zealand friend sent me the prices there - which range fom Dh45 for rump steak to Dh84 for fillet.
Now a friend in Australia has just sent me the local butcher's price for steaks in Sydney...where T-bone is Dh50 and fillet is Dh89 a kilo.
While I was in Europe a couple of weeks ago I did the usual 'BigMac Index'.
Here are the comparative prices of a BigMac, converted to dirhams at today's exchange rates.
Amsterdam Dh15.80
Munich Dh16.60
Lucerne Dh34.32
London Dh25.80
Dubai Dh10
To recap, in my earlier posting saying that Dubai wasn't as expensive as many western expats claim, there was a comment about Spinneys here in Dubai selling New Zealand rib-eye steak at the 'rip off' price of Dh65 a kilo.
A New Zealand friend sent me the prices there - which range fom Dh45 for rump steak to Dh84 for fillet.
Now a friend in Australia has just sent me the local butcher's price for steaks in Sydney...where T-bone is Dh50 and fillet is Dh89 a kilo.
While I was in Europe a couple of weeks ago I did the usual 'BigMac Index'.
Here are the comparative prices of a BigMac, converted to dirhams at today's exchange rates.
Amsterdam Dh15.80
Munich Dh16.60
Lucerne Dh34.32
London Dh25.80
Dubai Dh10
Sunday, October 28, 2007
Dubai prices
The other day I was talking about the comparative prices of things in Dubai and whether overall it's less or more expensive to live here than in, say, western Europe.
A couple of things have cropped up that are relevant.
I was in Debenhams, the UK store, in Mall of the Emirates over the weekend, passing the time while Mrs Seabee looked for something to spend her money on.
A lot of the labels on clothing had the original £ price printed on them, with a dirham sticker on top. Careful peeling revealed that, at 7.5 exchange rate:
*some items are more expensive here.
*some items are the same price here.
*some items are cheaper here.
I guess the advice has to be that if you're visiting here from Europe, or visiting Europe from here, and you plan to buy a particular item, then you should check your home price before you leave. If it's cheaper at home, buy it when you get back. If it's cheaper 'there' then buy it there.
The other thing was an anonymous comment left on my posting about the 'rip off' price of steak in Dubai. The 'rip off' price is Spinneys selling New Zealand rib-eye steak at Dh65 a kilo.
I checked earlier with a friend in New Zealand and today they're paying - for their own meat which hasn't been airfreighted halfway round the world:
*Fillet steak Dh84 a kilo
*Porterhouse steak Dh73
*Rump steak Dh45
And remember that the best quality product is always exported. As I've been suggesting, many things are still a bargain in Dubai.
A couple of things have cropped up that are relevant.
I was in Debenhams, the UK store, in Mall of the Emirates over the weekend, passing the time while Mrs Seabee looked for something to spend her money on.
A lot of the labels on clothing had the original £ price printed on them, with a dirham sticker on top. Careful peeling revealed that, at 7.5 exchange rate:
*some items are more expensive here.
*some items are the same price here.
*some items are cheaper here.
I guess the advice has to be that if you're visiting here from Europe, or visiting Europe from here, and you plan to buy a particular item, then you should check your home price before you leave. If it's cheaper at home, buy it when you get back. If it's cheaper 'there' then buy it there.
The other thing was an anonymous comment left on my posting about the 'rip off' price of steak in Dubai. The 'rip off' price is Spinneys selling New Zealand rib-eye steak at Dh65 a kilo.
I checked earlier with a friend in New Zealand and today they're paying - for their own meat which hasn't been airfreighted halfway round the world:
*Fillet steak Dh84 a kilo
*Porterhouse steak Dh73
*Rump steak Dh45
And remember that the best quality product is always exported. As I've been suggesting, many things are still a bargain in Dubai.
Monday, August 06, 2007
Meanwhile, in the real world...
I've just been reading that the price of unleaded petrol in Australia has plunged to a four month low.
It varies enormously across the country but the national average price is Dh4 a litre, so motorists are very happy.
I've just filled up and it cost me Dh1.37 a litre.
It varies enormously across the country but the national average price is Dh4 a litre, so motorists are very happy.
I've just filled up and it cost me Dh1.37 a litre.
Monday, March 12, 2007
Sound familiar?
I had to smile when I read this report in the Sydney Morning Herald about driving standards on my local freeway.
The F3: fast, furious and frustrating
Jordan Baker, Transport Reporter
March 12, 2007
IT'S the Australian way: get there first and get there fast. And on our highways we truly outdo ourselves in the winner-takes-all stakes.
Drivers in Europe stick to slow or fast lanes and overtake on the correct side; Australians, however, drive all over the place, and nowhere is this more evident than on the F3 between Wahroonga and Newcastle. Last month four accidents closed the highway in three days, and there is no viable alternative route.
Ken Dobinson, a former Roads and Traffic Authority director who designed the F3, said it was notorious for poor lane discipline. Trucks and cars weave around each other, infuriating other drivers and causing accidents.
"[Eliminating that] wouldn't reduce the traffic jams but … there would be [fewer] accidents if you had better lane discipline. That road [the F3] desperately needs signs that restrict trucks to the left-hand lane and only let trucks overtake in the middle lane. That would go a long way to solving the problems."
Photo: Ben Rushton. SMH
Mr Dobinson said when multiple-lane roads were introduced to Australia little attention was given to developing a culture of lane etiquette. Now poor discipline was a bad habit.
"With a freeway system in Sydney … we should … put this attitude to people that you never overtake on the left-hand side of the vehicle."
The penalty for "lane hogging" was increased from $130 to $231 and from two to three demerit points in 2005. That year 1029 people were fined under three offences of failing to keep left on a road. Last year the figure was 1234, NSW Police said.
The police traffic services commander, Chief Superintendent John Hartley, said motorists were required to stick to the left lane when driving on a multiple-lane road with a speed limit of 80 kmh or more. When they did not, it frustrated other drivers, prompting them to break road rules to get past.
But it was a difficult law to police. "You've got to stop motorists on busy highways where there's nowhere to pull over," Superintendent Hartley said. "Safety is paramount, so if officers can't stop safely they won't proceed."
The driving is as they describe, but it's heaven compared to Dubai's driving. Lane discipline is haphazard at best, but the other problems we have here of excessive speed, red light jumping, hard shoulder driving, the naked aggression to push in front, dangerous and illegal U-turning, are thankfully very rarely seen.
The F3: fast, furious and frustrating
Jordan Baker, Transport Reporter
March 12, 2007
IT'S the Australian way: get there first and get there fast. And on our highways we truly outdo ourselves in the winner-takes-all stakes.
Drivers in Europe stick to slow or fast lanes and overtake on the correct side; Australians, however, drive all over the place, and nowhere is this more evident than on the F3 between Wahroonga and Newcastle. Last month four accidents closed the highway in three days, and there is no viable alternative route.
Ken Dobinson, a former Roads and Traffic Authority director who designed the F3, said it was notorious for poor lane discipline. Trucks and cars weave around each other, infuriating other drivers and causing accidents.
"[Eliminating that] wouldn't reduce the traffic jams but … there would be [fewer] accidents if you had better lane discipline. That road [the F3] desperately needs signs that restrict trucks to the left-hand lane and only let trucks overtake in the middle lane. That would go a long way to solving the problems."
Photo: Ben Rushton. SMH
Mr Dobinson said when multiple-lane roads were introduced to Australia little attention was given to developing a culture of lane etiquette. Now poor discipline was a bad habit.
"With a freeway system in Sydney … we should … put this attitude to people that you never overtake on the left-hand side of the vehicle."
The penalty for "lane hogging" was increased from $130 to $231 and from two to three demerit points in 2005. That year 1029 people were fined under three offences of failing to keep left on a road. Last year the figure was 1234, NSW Police said.
The police traffic services commander, Chief Superintendent John Hartley, said motorists were required to stick to the left lane when driving on a multiple-lane road with a speed limit of 80 kmh or more. When they did not, it frustrated other drivers, prompting them to break road rules to get past.
But it was a difficult law to police. "You've got to stop motorists on busy highways where there's nowhere to pull over," Superintendent Hartley said. "Safety is paramount, so if officers can't stop safely they won't proceed."
The driving is as they describe, but it's heaven compared to Dubai's driving. Lane discipline is haphazard at best, but the other problems we have here of excessive speed, red light jumping, hard shoulder driving, the naked aggression to push in front, dangerous and illegal U-turning, are thankfully very rarely seen.
Thursday, December 21, 2006
It's not only in Dubai...
Australia has some spectacular crashes too.
A Ferrari 360 Spyder outside a Perth pub. He'd owned the car for a month, had a drink or two... and then much to the amusement of the pub customers...
Photo from Sydney Morning Herald
Crunch time for $300,000 Ferrari.
A Ferrari 360 Spyder outside a Perth pub. He'd owned the car for a month, had a drink or two... and then much to the amusement of the pub customers...
Photo from Sydney Morning Herald
Crunch time for $300,000 Ferrari.
Thursday, June 01, 2006
Dubai driving? Stop complaining!
Dangerous ride
(Xinhua)
A Chinese woman carries two children on her motorcycle in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan Province, May 27, 2006. In China, traffic accidents killed nearly 100,000 people and injured about 450,000. It is reported that disrespect of traffic rules is one of the major reasons causing such a high death toll. [Xinhua]
(Xinhua)
A Chinese woman carries two children on her motorcycle in Zhengzhou, Central China's Henan Province, May 27, 2006. In China, traffic accidents killed nearly 100,000 people and injured about 450,000. It is reported that disrespect of traffic rules is one of the major reasons causing such a high death toll. [Xinhua]
Sunday, April 23, 2006
Service, what service?
We've all been here right? A piece in an Aussie newspaper on what's ironically called 'customer service'. It confirms yet again that it's not, in spite of what many complaints here seem to suggest, something unique to the sandlands.
Customer service truly is an oxymoron
By TORY MAGUIRE
April 22, 2006
I SCARED myself the other day. I was standing in the middle of the office on my mobile phone so incandescent with rage my heart rate was elevated and I had to struggle to keep my voice down.
I had never met the woman at the other end of the phone and I am ashamed to say I was so apoplectic I forgot to ask what her name was. We talked for perhaps five minutes and in that time she managed to reduce a mostly sane person into a raving lunatic. What was she doing? Providing customer service.
Perhaps in my old age I am getting more demanding but in the past month I have had so many people, whose job description lists at the very top "provide service to customers", treat me like a moron that this week I finally snapped.
I don't think I can go anywhere near a major department store, furniture outlet or whitegoods emporium for at least six months – or at least until I can hear the words "No, that is not in our procedures" without losing the plot.
The woman who finally sent me over the edge admittedly came at the end of a long line of frustrations but you won't believe what she said to me. I was trying to arrange delivery of a gift that had been bought for us by a friend, who had already paid for delivery. She wanted me to pay again and when I protested she said: "I have already done enough of a favour for you by not tearing up this order and throwing it in the bin." I am serious.
Apparently the definition of good customer service these days is not smashing your already purchased goods on the floor. I did manage not to swear at her and asked that she ring me the next day when I had calmed down. I am still waiting.
When I got off the phone colleagues consoled me with their own horror stories. One is still waiting for new credit cards eight weeks after his old ones expired and no one in the customer service department of the major bank he uses seems too interested in serving this particular customer.
Another is being stalked by a roofing company, who is persistently demanding he and his wife arrange a 2½ hour window of time at their home for this company to deliver its hard sell.
And my personal favourite – when some name stamps for his daughter were delivered with the wrong spelling, after four weeks they had still not heard from the supplier. When they finally got through, the customer service woman explained it was company policy not to leave messages as husbands tended not to pass them on to their wives.
If it wasn't so utterly frustrating it would be hilarious. But it is not funny. We have enough to deal with in life without officious control freaks masquerading as people who care about their customers driving us crazy.
They need to be supported by organisations that allow some level of flexibility in those oft-relied on procedures and they need to understand the impact they have on people when they say: "No, that can't be done" because what they really mean is, "You might have saved up your hard-earned cash to buy this product, but we simply don't care".
I have a comment about our kind of customer service, but I'll save that for another day.
Customer service truly is an oxymoron
By TORY MAGUIRE
April 22, 2006
I SCARED myself the other day. I was standing in the middle of the office on my mobile phone so incandescent with rage my heart rate was elevated and I had to struggle to keep my voice down.
I had never met the woman at the other end of the phone and I am ashamed to say I was so apoplectic I forgot to ask what her name was. We talked for perhaps five minutes and in that time she managed to reduce a mostly sane person into a raving lunatic. What was she doing? Providing customer service.
Perhaps in my old age I am getting more demanding but in the past month I have had so many people, whose job description lists at the very top "provide service to customers", treat me like a moron that this week I finally snapped.
I don't think I can go anywhere near a major department store, furniture outlet or whitegoods emporium for at least six months – or at least until I can hear the words "No, that is not in our procedures" without losing the plot.
The woman who finally sent me over the edge admittedly came at the end of a long line of frustrations but you won't believe what she said to me. I was trying to arrange delivery of a gift that had been bought for us by a friend, who had already paid for delivery. She wanted me to pay again and when I protested she said: "I have already done enough of a favour for you by not tearing up this order and throwing it in the bin." I am serious.
Apparently the definition of good customer service these days is not smashing your already purchased goods on the floor. I did manage not to swear at her and asked that she ring me the next day when I had calmed down. I am still waiting.
When I got off the phone colleagues consoled me with their own horror stories. One is still waiting for new credit cards eight weeks after his old ones expired and no one in the customer service department of the major bank he uses seems too interested in serving this particular customer.
Another is being stalked by a roofing company, who is persistently demanding he and his wife arrange a 2½ hour window of time at their home for this company to deliver its hard sell.
And my personal favourite – when some name stamps for his daughter were delivered with the wrong spelling, after four weeks they had still not heard from the supplier. When they finally got through, the customer service woman explained it was company policy not to leave messages as husbands tended not to pass them on to their wives.
If it wasn't so utterly frustrating it would be hilarious. But it is not funny. We have enough to deal with in life without officious control freaks masquerading as people who care about their customers driving us crazy.
They need to be supported by organisations that allow some level of flexibility in those oft-relied on procedures and they need to understand the impact they have on people when they say: "No, that can't be done" because what they really mean is, "You might have saved up your hard-earned cash to buy this product, but we simply don't care".
I have a comment about our kind of customer service, but I'll save that for another day.
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Whinge. Whinge. Dubai's expensive.Whinge. Whinge.
I can't believe the number of Europeans/Americans/Aussies I've heard complaining that the cost of living is so high in Dubai that they can't save any money.
Then they talk about the beach club (in a 5 star hotel), the health spa (in a 5 star hotel), the eating out (in 5 star hotels), the problems with their maid...
It doesn't take a genius to see that they've moved their standard of living up to a level they never dreamed of in their own country. Their home town probably didn't even have a 5 star hotel, and if it did they never once used it! And servants? Ha! The nearest they got to having a servant was a teenage babysitter for an evening when they went out to the local Indian restaurant for a meal!
The only thing expensive here is rent, and most of them get accommodation either supplied or they get an allowance! Get real, people. Compare apples with apples. Live as you did back home and you'll discover Dubai is inexpensive - you'll be able to save heaps.
Then they talk about the beach club (in a 5 star hotel), the health spa (in a 5 star hotel), the eating out (in 5 star hotels), the problems with their maid...
It doesn't take a genius to see that they've moved their standard of living up to a level they never dreamed of in their own country. Their home town probably didn't even have a 5 star hotel, and if it did they never once used it! And servants? Ha! The nearest they got to having a servant was a teenage babysitter for an evening when they went out to the local Indian restaurant for a meal!
The only thing expensive here is rent, and most of them get accommodation either supplied or they get an allowance! Get real, people. Compare apples with apples. Live as you did back home and you'll discover Dubai is inexpensive - you'll be able to save heaps.
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