More Metro nonsense

A problem that shouldn't have happened, no information for those affected, waffle that insults our intelligence from the official spokesman.

Situation normal then.

The Metro had another technical fault yesterday, this time to do with the signals the trains send back to the computer, so trains were stopped on most of the system for three to four hours.

Inevitably, passengers complain that they were given no information, had no idea what was happening, they were just shuttled about on buses.

Lack of communication is exactly what I complained about last week, when the Metro's last 'technical issue' inconvenienced passengers but they were told nothing.

Seven new stations were opened on Friday and additional trains were added. You'd assume that it would all be tested and any problems fixed before the public was invited to use it. Yet it all ground to a halt during peak time.

But according to Pehyman Younes Parham, Director of Marketing and Communication for the RTA, such technical issues are normal and to be expected.

Oh really.

It's just the same old comment that's been used before, an insult to our intelligence repeated yet again to explain away a problem that should not have occurred.

Last week's technical issues were to be expected too, according to Mr Parham after that episode.

I realise it's alien thinking to companies here but what I think should be 'normal and to be expected' is that technical issues are all sorted out before something is opened to the public.

The Metro system is closed for seven hours during weekday nights and for fifteen hours Thursay/Friday. Time enough, I would have thought, for the necessary testing to be carried out, any glitches fixed and the system running efficiently before the public was encouraged to use the new stations and extra trains.


I've always thought that the worst thing any company can do is set the bar for achievement so low that the target is 'we're no worse than anyone else'. I was reminded of this during Mr Parham's interview on DubaiEye radio this morning.

He began by saying that the Metro has been benchmarked against other similar systems around the world and guess what - we're no worse than them.

That's OK then, if that's the lofty goal that's been set.

Then the old 'it's to be expected' excuse was trotted out yet again to explain away the problem.

On behalf of several listeners who complained about the total lack of communication he was asked what the RTA had done to tell inconvenienced passengers what was going on. He took the time-honoured route and ignored the question, waffling on about something entirely different for a couple of minutes.

In true UAE journalistic style the question wasn't repeated and he wasn't pushed for an answer.

The answer I suppose comes from the passengers - nothing was done to tell them what was going on.

True to the Dubai customer service ethic, something is opened before it's ready, infuriated customers are given no information at the time they're being inconvenienced, then are later told it's all perfectly normal.

Gulf News has the report here.

Getting the easiest part wrong

I never cease to be amazed that the simplest part of any problem is so consistently mishandled by companies.

It's always been the same, they never learn and I don't expect they ever will.

The easiest part is communication.

Tell the people affected what the problem is, what you're doing to correct it and, if possible, when you expect the problem to be rectified and service back to normal.

How hard is that?

For some inexplicable reason it's so hard it's impossible.

We've had it throughout the volcano ash cloud chaos, the biggest complaint from people, as always, is the lack of communication, lack of information.

Dubai's Metro is at it again too.

Passengers using the Dubai Metro once again faced delays yesterday following a disruption, which was not explained by the Metro operators.

However, what frustrated the passengers the most were confusing announcements made inside the trains and by ill-informed staff at the stations.

Situation perfectly normal then.

Metro operations remained suspended once again for around 50 minutes after 12:15pm on Sunday and then around 3pm while passengers wondered what had happened.

Leaving passengers stranded with no information makes it impossible for them to know what to do. Do they stay in the station and wait for an unknown amount of time or do they make other arrangements to get to their destination?

They can't make the decision thanks to the lack of communication from the Metro operators. Even worse, they're getting the usual 'five minutes' rubbish from staff.

How many times have I been told 'five minutes', or 'take a seat, coming'. It's just a way of getting rid of you, to stop you pestering them.

It's typical too of the 'customer service' we've come to expect. Take your money and that's it, nothing after that is of any concern to the company.

The problem was later explained with the usual platitudes.

A Dubai Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) spokesperson said that technical issues were behind the slight disruptions.

"We are preparing to add more trains with the opening of new stations from April 30" said Peyman Younes Parham, director of marketing and communication at the RTA.

"Techical issues are being sorted out, especially regarding the train headways and waiting time of passengers and this has led to some delays. It is quite normal when you add more services on a running track."

Why didn't you tell your passengers that? Why weren't your staff briefed? Did it happen unexpectedly - your statement 'it's perfectly normal' indicates it didn't? So why no advance notice?

If it was unexpected, why wasn't information put on the electronic boards and the public announcement system?





The story's here.

Metro completion delayed again

While it's clear that work has been continuing on the Metro, you can see workers on the stations and bridges along the Red Line, it's obvious that they're way behind with completion.

Now the official word is that the opening of the remaining eighteen stations has been put back, with seven due to open on April 25 and the final eleven opening 'in phases' on unspecified dates.

I think most of the seven new stations will encourage more people to use the Metro because of their convenient locations. They're at Ibn Battutu, Dubai Marina, World Trade Centre, Karama and Terminal 1 at the airport, plus the stupidly named GGICO Station (Al Garhoud) and Emirates Station (which people will confuse with Termnal 3 I'm sure).

Mrs Seabee had to go to Terminal 3 last week at peak traffic time so she decided to take her first trip on the Metro. Taxi to MoE station from her office in Knowledge Village, Metro from there right into the terminal. Quicker, easier, less stressful than driving, quicker and cheaper than a taxi all the way so she gave it a thumbs up.

As for the Green Line opening, that's been put back yet again, this time to August 2011.




Gulf News has the story here.

To old Dubai

I went into the city yesterday so I thought I'd give the Metro another go.

I was visiting Bur Dubai and then Deira and with only a few stations currently open there was a bit of walking involved. In this beautiful weather that suited me fine, I've always enjoyed walking and I love wandering around the old areas of Dubai anyway.

I went from Mall of the Emirates to Khalid Bin Al Waleed station (better known as Bank Street or Burjuman), it took twenty minutes and cost Dh6.50. That compares very favourably with driving, especially with the parking problems in the city.



To cross to Deira I wandered down to the Creek and, as I always do, invested a dirham in an abra ride.



Like all cities around the world with old and new sections the old part of Dubai is very different from New Dubai. It's grown naturally rather than being just plonked on some empty land, so it has soul, heart.

It's all a bit jumbled and scruffy in many parts but that's all part of its charm and I always get a lift in spirits being there.



I came back from Union Station and again it's about twenty minutes and costs Dh6.50.

By the way, on the way down to the Creek I walked through Bastakiyah, which I must explore again because there's a lot more going on than last time I was there.

Interesting food available too;

Thumbs up for the Metro

A visit to Deira was in the diary this morning and I decided to go by Metro.

It's not a novelty for me, I've used the equivalent in other cities all my life but I can understand the excitement for people who haven't experienced it.

For me it works if it gets me from A to B conveniently, easily, comfortably and gives value for money.

Credit where credit's due, the Metro ticked all the boxes.

I was also going to Mall of theEmirates so that solved one of the potential problems, getting to and parking at a station. I parked at MoE and walked through the mall to the station. I was only going to be a couple of hours so the parking was free.

In the station the ticket counter was closed but a staff member, an Emirati lady, was on hand and directed me to the Information counter, which was issuing tickets.

The current ten minutes between trains isn't too bad and I waited only a couple of minutes. Train wasn't crowded, they're clean, modern and comfortable;



The big plus is sailing along SZR relaxing and watching the motorists. Not jammed at 10am but the Defence and Trade Centre roundabouts, and of course the city itself, were very busy. The Metro is a hell of a lot less stressful.



The ride isn't the roller coaster the track suggests it will be, in fact you're hardly aware of all the ups and downs.

I forgot to time it but I guess I was in to Union/Ittihad Station in about twenty minutes. Much less than in the car, no parking problems and much more relaxing than driving.

Coming back, again the ticket office was closed - is that a cost-cutting measure I wonder? I was directed to the ticket machines, by an Emirati male staff member, who talked me through the steps. Actually it's easy enough and the how-to-use information is clear and good.

A couple of other ticks - the trains have a visual and voice information system which tells you the name of the next station, the information signage at the stations is clear, the stations have good clear local area maps - or at least there's one at Union Station so I assume the others also have them.

The staff were on hand and helpful, and it was interesting to see Emiratis in such non-executive positions, which goes against the general view of the jobs they will do.

A problem I can see in future when all the stations are open is the time a journey will take. The stations are very close together - I took this shot as we pulled into one station and the previous, currently not open, station is very close:



But that aside, it works very well and it'll certainly be my preferred transport if it goes where I need to go.

I have visitors coming in to T3 and I'd be tempted to meet them and bring them back on the Metro rather than driving - but bizarrely you can't take luggage onto the train. There's not a lot of point having a train servicing an airport if luggage isn't allowed on it.

So, there are a few things to be looked at but overall they seem to have done well.

Gathering the resources

A week to go before the very partial Metro opening and they seem to have met the self-imposed deadline of 999 but only just - only ten stations will actually be operating.

In Jebel Ali yesterday they were gathering the elements together, a train on the elevated section rehearsing running through a station and a fleet of feeder buses.





And that's it for a week, we're off to the UK tomorrow morning. Three days in Leicester working and then four days relaxing up in the Peak District.

I'm not sure what we'll be able to do because the weather looks very iffy, the forecast says we'll have top temps between 12C and 17C with plenty of cloud and rain. We might have to spend a lot of time indoors, places like pubs or restaurants maybe...

Floating garden sheds are white elephants

It's confirmed, we don't like the floating garden sheds which pass as water buses.

Figures show that the ten water buses, built to carry 36 passengers each, carried about 191,000 passengers in 42,730 trips during the first four months of this year. So each trip carries less than five passengers.



The fare is obviously one of the problems, at Dh4 compared to the Dh1 abra trip across the Creek. The RTA has changed the original Dh4 each way fare to Dh4 return, but it's still not working.

I think people were too polite to say that they really don't use the things because they're so ugly.

Even tourists don't like them. A friend reports that her tour agency "used to give the option to tourists to take the airconditioned 'comfortable' bus, but 95% of their customers said that they want to use the more authentic, noisy and open-to-the-elements Abra."

I always take friends from Oz across the Creek on the abra and all have said afterwards that it was the most memorable part of their time in Dubai.

Back to the drawing board...


Gulf News report is here.


*A white elephant is a valuable possession of which its owner cannot dispose and whose cost (particularly cost of upkeep) is out of proportion to its usefulness.

Trains on view

If you haven't seen them - and if you're interested - the Metro trains look like this on the elevated section of the track:



These were on the stretch right outside Ibn Battuta Mall this morning.

Metro station and bridges

A couple of pics of one of the Metro stations at Jumeirah Lake Towers and the pedestrian bridge across Sheikh Zayed Road to Dubai Marina.

They're manufacturing the bridges at the side of the road...



...then swinging them into place - the pillars have been in place for some time



There are two station and this one is, I think, called Dubai Marina and it's at the Dubai end. The other is, I think, Jumeirah Lake Towers station and is at the Jebel Ali end.

Or the names may be the other way round.

Or they may be on the list of the comercially sponsored stations, so I suppose they could be Kentucky Fried Chicken Station and Big Mac Station.

Whatever, I'm looking forward to the Metro being up and running.

Al Sufouh trams

Gulf News tells us that the RTA has awarded the contract for phase one of the Al Sufouh Tram project. Phase One is scheduled to commence operations on April 11, 2011.

It'll run around Dubai Marina, including Jumeirah Beach Residence, link with the Metro at Jumeirah Lake Towers and Marina stations and have a total of thirteen stops (or stations, as they're called).

That's all good news, but I still fear for safety with trams 44 metres long carrying 305 passengers trundling along rails on the same roads as Dubai's moronic drivers.

And I have a question about the planning. Don't I always!

Phase One is a tram to nowhere. Here's the graphic produced by Gulf News (click on it to enlarge it):

Why doesn't Phase One go the extra distance to Madinat Jumeirah? Or even better, to Mall of the Emirates Metro station. Why leave that section to be included in Phase Two?

The Gulf News story is here.

Communique from the parallel universe of the RTA.

The lesson from cities all over the world is, and has been for years, that if you want and expect people to use trains you have to provide parking at the train stations.

It's hardly rocket science, people need to get between their homes and workplaces and the stations. Invariably the best way is to drive there.

So having examples of what does and doesn't work from around the world on which to base their plans, our beloved RTA comes up with this for its 47 Metro stations:

"We are making huge parking plazas at three locations...There will be no private parking for Metro passengers on rest of the stations."

And this, they say is because they plan:

"...to attract larger number of passengers to encourage them park their cars and use Metro."

They can't be Earthlings, they're from Pluto or somewhere, I swear.

There will be one parking lot for around 6,000 cars at the end of the Green Line in Al Ghusais. 2,800 cars will be able to park at Deira's Rashidiya station in Deira on the Red Line and there will be parking for about 2,000 cars at Jumeirah Islands station on Shaikh Zayed Road.

(An aside: add that lot up and compare it with what they say will be the Metro's capacity of 50,000 pasengers per hour).

So the majority of people who would like to use the Metro but who don't live near the three, and only three, car parks get to the stations how?

The RTA have a cunning plan:

every station will have connection for public transport buses and taxi lay-by.

And every street in the whole of New Dubai will have a convenient bus stop and bus timetable will it? Or taxis in peak times will be readily available will they?

Gulf news has added to the fun with the story's headline and sub-head:

"Metro users to get free parking spaces. Three plazas at major locations will help encourage rail commuters. It's here.

Now the RTA comes clean.

There's unequivocal confirmation now from the RTA that their 'integrated transport plan' excludes private cars.

Back in November I said in a post titled 'Stupid, stupid me'
that I'd suddenly realised the plan was to make it impossible for us to use our cars.

Then in December they acknowledged that they were planning to expand the Salik toll system to "encourage" us to use public transport. I posted that as 'RTA comes clean' but I hadn't quite got that right.

Now they've come clean, their statements at a conference being reported by The National newspaper.

They quote Abdul Redha Abu al Hassan, the RTA’s director of rail planning, as saying:

"There are two methods of encouraging people to stop using the car and travel by public transport instead. One is to provide a luxurious and safe environment for mass transit systems and the other is to force them by increasing the cost of driving."

That's what I'd realised back in November. As I said then: "The plan is simply to drive us all off the roads completely."

He went on to spell out some of the plans:

"driving a car will become a lot more expensive"..."car parking and annual re-registration charges will go up significantly"..."Salik would definitely be extended"...The majority of Dubai’s population would be unable to afford planned increases in vehicle registration fees and additional Salik charges: "To pay all the fees it will end up that they have no money left in their pay packets"...

It's no surprise that Dubai has an enormous 541 vehicles per 1,000 residents (compared with 444 in New York and 345 in London) or that only five percent of trips here are made by public transport.

Blind Freddie can see that if you have no public transport system people have to use private cars. So that's what's been happening.

When we have an integrated public transport system there's a chance that we'll use it rather than our cars. But...

The evidence is clear that Dubai suffers from so many unnecessary problems which are caused by plain and simple old fashioned bad planning. Time after time after time. In spite of starting with a competely blank canvas. In spite of all the data from other cities around the world.

To work as it was meant to in theory a public transport system has to give people what they want, when and where they want it and at a price they are able and prepared to pay. It must be interlinked, convenient, clean, fast and safe.

With the evidence of how much bad planning we have to contend with all around us, I'm not optimistic that the problems of travelling around Dubai are going to get much better.



The National story is here.

More great planning

There's another - yet another - example of the lack of communication, the lack of planning, that causes so many problems to business and to people in general here in Dubai.

There's a report in EmBiz247 today about the Palm Jumeirah monorail, saying that over 90% of the work has been completed. The 5.4 kilometre track runs along the palm's trunk out to the top of the crescent.

Work only started in 2006, so the engineers and the construction gangs have done a great job.

And the planners?

Just to backtrack for a second, Jumeirah Palm's population in its hotels and residences is projected at more than 70,000. The monorail will initially carry up to 2,400 people per hour in each direction, which at full capacity will rise to 6,800.

So we're talking about a lot of people living on and moving on & off the island.

The RTA's Public transport system of metro, bus, tram and water is also well under way - metro more than 50% built, thousands of buses ordered, tram routes finalised and so on.

So those things were all carefully thought about, discussed and planned way back at the beginning, right?

Today's report tells us that 'a senior spokesperson' for Nakheel said...wait for it..."discussions were ongoing over how The Palm Jumeirah monorail system can connect with the Dubai Metro or with the Al Sufouh tram line."

Yep, it's all into the final stages of construction and discussions are ongoing about how and with what they can actually connect.

So the initial plan was what? Thousands of people each hour get off the monorail at the end of the Trunk...and...?

Didn't the planners communicate with each other right at the beginning? You know, stuff like "we're both planning mass tranport systems, how can we connect them?" Why are they in discussion at this late stage?

My head hurts thinking about it. You can read it all for yourselves here.

Who writes this stuff?

This morning I had to pick my car up from the repairer - the usual Dubai problem of a couple of people running into it.

In the reception area there was a poster from our beloved RTA. I've just checked and the same message is on their website.

The message is so typical of companies and organisations these days and like buzzing (click on the label for my buzzing posts) it infuriates me. Meaningless cliches masquerading as some sort of policy or strategy with headings like 'Mission' and 'Values' - cliches in themselves.

Is there a Cliche Factory somewhere? Or do they all go to Google, type in 'meaningless cliche' and copy & paste them?

Here's what the RTA says:

Our Vision
Safe and Smooth Transport for all.

Our Mission
Our mission is to prepare legislation and develop integrated solutions of road systems and land/marine transportation networks that are safe and in line with Dubai’s economic development plans and the highest international standards.

Our Values
In our endeavor to achieve our strategic vision and mission at all levels, we refer of our mutual values that remain our first and prime reference at all times.

Corporate reputation
Our credibility and corporate reputation are honest reflections to the safe and reliable infrastructure we provide.

Distinction and Success
Our distinction is a true representation of performance based on efficiency, effectiveness and focus on continuous success.

Leadership and team work
The professionalism and wisdom of our leaders are manifested through their deep respect for individuals and reinforcement of teamwork.

Strategic partnerships
Our achievements and the success of our strategic partnerships are true reflection of our response to customer expectations and the contribution to the development of our society.

Quality and customer service
Acquisition and utilization of modern technology underpin our continuous journey towards quality and customer loyalty.

It's from the Cliche Factory isn't it.

The whole of the 'Values' section is a generic, copy & paste section that any organisation could use regardless of the business they're in. Many probably do.

But it's not just the pointless, meaningless cliches that annoy me. It's also the fact that the reality on the ground is so very different from the claims.

As a story in today's Gulf News shows, and on the roads as I found to my frustration this morning , there's actually a real world out there.

Ashfaq Ahmed has filed a report which is headed "A long and weary bus ride".

Let me remind you that the RTA is trying to get us out of our cars and onto public transport.

To be more than fair I'll leave out the problems caused by traffic congestion. Stuff like a scheduled 55 minute journey taking 2 hours 15 minutes, or 3 hours and 50 minutes for a journey that Ashfaq says normally takes not more than one hour in a car during morning peak hours.

No, let's forget all that.

But what about these little aspects of travelling by bus as reported by Ashfaq.

"Travelling in public buses in Dubai is an excellent option only if you want to save money and if you are a tourist with plenty of time to waste. It is certainly not a good option for those who have to reach their offices on time everyday because buses never reach on scheduled time...Forget about taking bus every three minutes as is claimed by the Public Transport Agency of the Roads and Transport Authority.

I tried different bus routes at different times of the day...It was a nightmare when it comes to catching bus.

The bus stop was crowded and I had to wait for at least 30 minutes for the bus. But what is this? People have started pushing each other to get into the bus. The driver took a good seven minutes to accommodate around 15 people and then shut the door leaving at least 10 more passengers mostly females behind because there were no seats available.

Ashfaq then changed buses at Al Ghubaiba bus terminal.

"It was not a pleasant scene at Al Ghubaiba as well because it took me a good 20 minutes to find out which bus I should take to reach Gulf News office.

He had a rest at his office, then plunged back into our state-of-the-art, world's-best-practice bus system.

"I waited for a bus near Gulf News for about 30 minutes, it never came.

He walked to Safa Park and found a bus to Satwa bus station.

"I decided to take a bus route map. I started asking different people about the information kiosk. There was none. One driver told me to go to an office with tinted glass. I walked in and found an employee talking over the phone. He was not bothered at all. I looked around and saw some route maps in the corner of the room. I picked up one but you have to be a Columbus to decipher the route map. It was available only in English while most of the people I found using the bus were workers who usually cannot read English.

Did I mention that Al Ghubaiba and Satwa bus stations were filthy enough to make you hold your breath?

How does that relate to the 'Values' claimed by the RTA?

Management of the bus system sounds as efficient as management of our roads, with its lack of information, misleading signs, insufficient warning distances, mishmash of US and UK road systems.

This morning I left Media City at 9.15 to drive to Al Ittihad Road near the airport. That would be maybe 40 km I guess. I picked up my car and drove back to Media City. Total time 4 hours. Half a day.

Every road I drove on or could see was either at a complete standstill or traffic was crawling slowly.

There were apparently road closures around Sheikh Zayed Road, to do with BushW's visit people were saying. Were we informed in advance? Not a word. Had we been we could have used alternative routes.

To add to the problems, people had been sent SMS spam by the RTA telling them that the new Al Garhoud Bridge was open - it wasn't, so that caused extra confusion and mayhem.

Communication isn't rocket science is it. If roads are going to be closed, tell us. Don't tell us the bridge is open if it isn't. Put clear signs up so that we know where we need to steer the car.

And management isn't difficult either, as long as the managers are competent.

If you'd like to read Ashfaq's article it's here. And the bridge misinformation fiasco is here.

LATE ADDITION

What a perfect example of bad planning, bad management, lack of communication.

This afternoon it was announced that tomorrow will be a public holiday for ministries, government establishments, schools and private sector companies in Dubai. In other words, just about all of us.

The afternoon before is just a tad late to make such an announcement wouldn't you say?

Why has the public holiday been declared?

The statement says it's "due to the closure of some main roads, bridges and tunnels" which is in relation to President W's visit.

Why was the announcement made so late?

My bet is that the traffic chaos throughout Dubai today, when they'd only just started to close off roads, caught them by surprise, even though Blind Freddy could have predicted it. Realising what major closures would do, a public holiday was the answer.

Now look, when the US President travels there's an advance guard of security experts who set up security in places he will be visiting. They do it a long time before he travels.

So the measures being taken now were worked out a long time ago.

And nobody thought it through to predict the traffic chaos that would result? Nobody was aware of the effect of closing main roads and bridges in a city that's a traffic nightmare normally? Nobody realised before this afternoon that a public holiday should be declared?

Unbelievable. Just unbelievable.

Ugly water buses are empty

I took a photograph of the Creek water buses the other day and was going to post about the ugliness of them.

Today there's a report that they're shuttling between Bur Dubai and Deira just about empty. The reason, people said, was the cost - the abra fare is Dh1 while the water bus is Dh4.

Commuting across the Creek each day, as many people do, will cost Dh10 a week the traditional way and Dh40 a week by water bus. That's a huge difference and simply not worth it for a few minutes of air-conditioning.

Maybe in the worst of the summer months their business will increase but I can't see them being a success for most of the year. And that leads me to a horrible thought - as they cost Dh700,000 each you don't think our beloved RTA might consider getting rid of the abra fleet to ensure their success do you?

But on to what I actually was going to say. The design.

What we were shown before they went into service was what I said at the time was a good, appropriate design. They had a sleek but retro look about them, fitting in with the look of the dhows and the abras that fill the Creek.



The real thing is a squat, compressed, ugly shape that looks horribly out of place on the Creek.



Too short, too compressed, too high. They look as though they were cobbled together by an amateur in his backyard.

No surprise, it's a design error.

What everyone else seems have to been able to see from the beginning, the RTA didn't see.

Why am I not surprised.

The obvious fault in the air-conditioned bus shelter design has hit the news today, now that the shelters are appearing all over Dubai.

They ain't big enough!



The RTA's policy is to have much more public transport - excellent - and to 'encourage' people to abandon their cars in favour of it. Not a strong possibility if we have to stand around in 50C heat and 100% humidity, so the RTA came up with a good solution - a/c bus stops.

But we have already-crowded buses, the population of Dubai increasing by 800 people a day, everyone told to use public transport...and the bus shelters are designed to take a maximum of 14 people, eight seated and six standing. I must say that seems like an optimistic number, they're only 2.5 x 6 metres.

The problem has obviously been recognised - far too late - because many places have two of the shelters side-by-side...



It should have been thought of at the design stage! When you start with a blank canvass there is no excuse.

Given the culture in which we're living, another interesting point was raised by a Gulf News reader - why are there no separate shelters for ladies?

You can read the Gulf News report here.

Stupid, stupid me.

For a long time I've been complaining that the RTA is making it more difficult for motorists to get around when they should be making it easier.

Today I was reading the news that the trams we were threatened with some time ago are for real and work will start in January. Initially the trams will run for 15 kilometres along Al Sufouh Road from Madinat Jumeirah to Dubai Marina, and around both sides of the Marina. The route is shown very well in this Gulf News graphic:

Thanks largely to Salik these roads are jammed solid morning and evening already. Losing a third of the road space to a tramline - plus the inevitable closures & diversions while the work is being done - will make it all but impossible.

Then a blinding flash. The light came on. The penny dropped. It all suddenly became clear.

Why I haven't seen the blindingly obvious for so long I don't know.

It's to make driving difficult to the point of impossible.

That's the plan. Always has been. I simply didn't see it.

I stupidly thought the integrated traffic plan included private cars. It obviously doesn't.

It's so simple. Make it so frustrating, so annoying, so time-consuming to use a private car and we'll all have to use the Metro/tram/buses/ferries.

The plan is simply to drive us all off the roads completely.

An RTA official is quoted as saying: "The tram project will encourage people in these posh areas to use alternate mode of transport instead of personal cars."

Encourage? We'll have no option.

By the way, I'm sure I must have raised the point when I talked about a tramline in a posting ages ago - can you imagine the danger, the chaos with Dubai's motorists and trams on the same road?

Seeing double

My piece last month about the new air-conditioned bus stops appearing along Al Sufouh Road attracted the comment "...there's only enough space for about 10 people inside..."

Very true. Here's the RTA's answer:

Better late than never.

For quite some time we've had the prototype air-conditioned bus stop outside Wild Wadi, but I haven't seen evidence of any others appearing.

That changed today. Driving down Al Sufouh Road from Dubai Marina towards Dubai I came across this:



It's identical to the Wild Wadi shelter so I assume it's another air-conditioned bus stop.

They've missed a lot of the summer but with several uncomfortable weeks still to come it will be a welcome relief to bus users.

Phantom water buses.

I spent half an hour by the Creek this morning and didn't see any of the new water buses.

Not one.

Do they actually exist?