With regard to your story, Rent increases in Abu Dhabi lead to call for new cap (April 6), the rent increases since the 5 per cent cap was removed have depended on the greed of the property owners or the agents, which in many cases are the banks and their property arms.
These increases are often ruthless, with increases of 50 per cent, and it means expatriate workers cannot stay in one place for long.
Eventually, I believe many of these expatriates will decide to go home. Two-bedroom units are now commanding annual rents of Dh120,000 and above when until a few years ago they were Dh80,000 or below. It will be good for the rent cap to be put back in place. Rents are already up to the so-called market level.
Chandan Aidur, Abu Dhabi
I personally know many people who have been forced to leave the UAE due to the rent increases. The benefits no longer outweighed the costs and so they decided they had to go.
Not only that but the overall cost of living has also been rising sharply, and the salaries haven’t increased to cushion the increases.
Samantha Anderson, Al Ain
We have been living in the same flat in the Mushrif area on Airport Road since 2001.
This building is about 25 years old and our rent had been renewed on a nominal 5 per cent increase every year up to 2013, when the cap was removed.
Our rent was increased by about 45 per cent in 2014 and we have been told it will be again increased by a further 40 to 45 per cent this year, which we cannot afford.
Name withheld by request
Tired drivers must still act safely
Ayesha Almazroui's column, Tackling cabbie fatigue in the UAE is in the interests of all (April 6) states that most of the taxi drivers are not deliberately careless but are simply victims of the demands of their job.
I’m sorry, but there is never any excuse for poor driving. If they don’t know the rules of the road, they shouldn’t be driving. If they do know the rules and ignore them then they also shouldn’t be driving.
Having said that, they clearly work long hours for little money and the UAE authorities should act to address this.
Dave Pryce, Dubai
I have been in a couple of taxis where the drivers were nearly falling asleep at the wheel.
I thought about reporting them but that would have meant they lost the jobs and I know how much the income means to them.
Sandra Weston, Abu Dhabi
Felix shows cats are not just cargo
Your story, Loss of cat on Etihad flight prompts call for better care for animals in transit (April 6), is very sad and I hope they find Felix.
Having said that, I shipped my two cats on Etihad from JFK to Abu Dhabi and the cargo foreman introduced himself and said he would personally make sure my cats were boarded and settled safely on the aircraft – and they were.
I wish there was a better way to transport pets than as cargo.
Christine Hinz, Abu Dhabi
I can’t believe they crushed the cat’s cage. It must be absolutely horrifying for any loving pet owner and I would have lost my mind worrying about what happened to this poor animal.
Shame on the ground handlers at JFK for being so careless. Our pets are like our children, not just cargo.
Name withheld by request
Call for an added police presence
In relation to your editorial (Put new drivers on probation, April 6), you are right to note that speed cameras cannot replace policing bad behaviour on the roads.
Once on the road, drivers rarely have to worry about encountering police patrols enforcing the law and penalising dangerous driving. Speed cameras cannot catch tailgating and flashing lights and other aggressive behaviour.
The whole driving process needs reviewing, from obtaining one’s licence, more police patrols, enforcment of the rules and heavier penalties.
Samer Bou-aoun, Dubai
It must also be about a shift in attitude. There have been several instances when a large vehicle has approached me quickly from behind, flashed its headlights, drove extremely close to my car and then passed me on the shoulder.
Maybe things would improve if some crashed vehicles were featured at a few key places on long stretches of road with phrases, in Arabic and English, saying: “Are a few extra minutes worth risking this?”
Karen Langan, Abu Dhabi
I don’t believe new drivers are necessarily the issue because most of problems are caused by idiotic drivers with no spacial awareness or idea of how lanes and roundabouts work.
The rules must be enforced against drivers who seem to have a death wish.
Jeffrey Evans, Al Ain
