As Dubai’s skyline stretches ever higher and its population surges steadily upwards, its roads increasingly show the signs of this extraordinary growth. As many metropolises have discovered, living in a city on the move can often mean spending a large amount of time in stationary traffic.
While congestion on the roads may be an inevitable symptom of societal boom times, it can nonetheless bear a heavy cost for everyone. In public-messaging campaigns, the focus is often on safety; it is well-established that congestion can lead to accidents. But there is a range of other – often very expensive – externalities. Congestion reduces the productivity of the labour force, inflates transport costs (and, by extension, the price of other services and goods) and increases carbon emissions from idle exhaust fumes. There is also a mental toll: last year, Dubai drivers lost nearly a day and a half of time that could have been spent doing other things sitting instead in unusually high traffic.
Few cities, moreover, have grown as quickly as Dubai, where the population has doubled in the past 15 years. Nearby Abu Dhabi, for its part, has grown by 50 per cent in the past decade, with 7.5 per cent population growth last year alone. In the Northern Emirates, a host of development projects are expected to raise investment and resident numbers in the coming years. Consequently, authorities have had to plan quickly to ensure that transport infrastructure can keep up. In recent weeks, an ambitious portfolio of projects and planning initiatives has been announced to that end.
This week, the UAE unveiled a Dh750 million ($204 million) expansion of Emirates Road, a key artery linking Dubai and the Northern Emirates. The project, announced by Sheikh Hamdan bin Mohammed, Crown Prince of Dubai, will add three lanes in each direction across a 16-kilometre stretch, boosting the road’s capacity to 12,000 vehicles per hour and offering relief to hundreds of thousands of daily commuters.
Last year, Dubai drivers lost nearly a day and a half of time that could have been spent doing other things
The announcement came on the heels of another major investment: a Dh633 million ($172 million) plan to upgrade roads in Dubai’s financial district. The project will cut congestion on one of the city’s busiest routes, the portion of Al Mustaqbal Street stretching from Zabeel Palace Street to Financial Centre Street, via three tunnels, a bridge and a lane-expansion. The result will be a better commuter experience for thousands of people who move in and out of Downtown Dubai every day.
These projects are part of a wider constellation of efforts towards integrated urban planning to future-proof the country. The UAE is increasingly leveraging technology, data and design to not only manage congestion but also enhance safety and sustainability. Smart traffic signals, dynamically priced toll roads, improved pedestrian zones and the development of public transit networks are all part of this strategy.
Solving the problem of congestion is not easy. But the tools UAE cities are using to tackle it are the right ones. And the level of investment being pumped into transport infrastructure provides plenty of cause for optimism that the way ahead is clear.
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
What are the influencer academy modules?
- Mastery of audio-visual content creation.
- Cinematography, shots and movement.
- All aspects of post-production.
- Emerging technologies and VFX with AI and CGI.
- Understanding of marketing objectives and audience engagement.
- Tourism industry knowledge.
- Professional ethics.
Company profile
Name: Steppi
Founders: Joe Franklin and Milos Savic
Launched: February 2020
Size: 10,000 users by the end of July and a goal of 200,000 users by the end of the year
Employees: Five
Based: Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Dubai
Financing stage: Two seed rounds – the first sourced from angel investors and the founders' personal savings
Second round raised Dh720,000 from silent investors in June this year
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
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UAE squad to face Ireland
Ahmed Raza (captain), Chirag Suri (vice-captain), Rohan Mustafa, Mohammed Usman, Mohammed Boota, Zahoor Khan, Junaid Siddique, Waheed Ahmad, Zawar Farid, CP Rizwaan, Aryan Lakra, Karthik Meiyappan, Alishan Sharafu, Basil Hameed, Kashif Daud, Adithya Shetty, Vriitya Aravind
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
Nepotism is the name of the game
Salman Khan’s father, Salim Khan, is one of Bollywood’s most legendary screenwriters. Through his partnership with co-writer Javed Akhtar, Salim is credited with having paved the path for the Indian film industry’s blockbuster format in the 1970s. Something his son now rules the roost of. More importantly, the Salim-Javed duo also created the persona of the “angry young man” for Bollywood megastar Amitabh Bachchan in the 1970s, reflecting the angst of the average Indian. In choosing to be the ordinary man’s “hero” as opposed to a thespian in new Bollywood, Salman Khan remains tightly linked to his father’s oeuvre. Thanks dad.
Terror attacks in Paris, November 13, 2015
- At 9.16pm, three suicide attackers killed one person outside the Atade de France during a foootball match between France and Germany
- At 9.25pm, three attackers opened fire on restaurants and cafes over 20 minutes, killing 39 people
- Shortly after 9.40pm, three other attackers launched a three-hour raid on the Bataclan, in which 1,500 people had gathered to watch a rock concert. In total, 90 people were killed
- Salah Abdeslam, the only survivor of the terrorists, did not directly participate in the attacks, thought to be due to a technical glitch in his suicide vest
- He fled to Belgium and was involved in attacks on Brussels in March 2016. He is serving a life sentence in France
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More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Student Of The Year 2
Director: Punit Malhotra
Stars: Tiger Shroff, Tara Sutaria, Ananya Pandey, Aditya Seal
1.5 stars
WHEN TO GO:
September to November or March to May; this is when visitors are most likely to see what they’ve come for.
WHERE TO STAY:
Meghauli Serai, A Taj Safari - Chitwan National Park resort (tajhotels.com) is a one-hour drive from Bharatpur Airport with stays costing from Dh1,396 per night, including taxes and breakfast. Return airport transfers cost from Dh661.
HOW TO GET THERE:
Etihad Airways regularly flies from Abu Dhabi to Kathmandu from around Dh1,500 per person return, including taxes. Buddha Air (buddhaair.com) and Yeti Airlines (yetiairlines.com) fly from Kathmandu to Bharatpur several times a day from about Dh660 return and the flight takes just 20 minutes. Driving is possible but the roads are hilly which means it will take you five or six hours to travel 148 kilometres.
