Commuters surprised by uncrowded roads after 9-day break for Eid

Motorists pleasantly surprised to find many roads unusually quiet as they returned to work after a nine-day break for Government staff

Traffic on Sheikh Zayed Road on the first day after the Eid Al Fitr holidays in Dubai. Many drivers said they found the commute easier than normal with schools still being closed and many families on holiday. Satish Kumar / The NationalShow less

DUBAI // Drivers were braced yesterday to return to the usual hassle of the morning commute because of busy roads after Government employees enjoyed nine days off for Eid Al Fitr. The big surprise was how smooth it all turned out to be.

“It took me seven minutes to get from DIFC to Dubai Chamber,” said Mahdi Al Mazin, 37, an Emirati government worker. “Most people are on vacation now. I know many of my colleagues are out of the country, they had to push their summer vacations back due to Ramadan. So no wonder roads are empty.”

Mr Al Mazin said that he had not really expected too much traffic.

“Get the feeling that the roads are going to be a nightmare when schools open, that’s when everyone is on the road. So long as the schools are closed I know the roads won’t be so bad.”

That seemed to be the impression most people had after an unexpectedly easy commute.

“It seems the whole city is empty as many have traveled outside the country since Ramadan started in the beginning of summer,” said Abdulla Ali, 47, an Emirati manager at a Dubai government department. “Today I went around many of our offices and realised that many had started their annual leave after Eid.”

“It takes me anywhere between 45 minutes and an hour and a half to get to work each day,” said Omar Ismail, 30, who commutes from Discovery Gardens to Bur Dubai. “Today it took 30 minutes if that,” said the Emirati financial manager. “The roads were completely empty for some reason.”

Mr Ismail said the work load on Sunday seemed just as light.

“We usually have a lot of work in the beginning of each month, but today everyone who usually follows up on the tasks seems to be off, so I’ve not really gotten any emails. It feels strange.”

Khalid Al Ali, 37, recently started a new job in Ajman. He commutes daily from his home in Al Barsha.

“I’m heading against the usual traffic so my commute is not so bad, but today I noticed the streets seemed empty.”

Some thought to leave home sooner to avoid the traffic and ended up arriving too early.

“I clocked in at 7am today, half an hour early,” said Abu Mohammed, 45, from Jordan. “I was expecting to be held up on Emirates Road but it was smooth. I hope the ride home is just as fast because I won’t be getting a head start on that.”

“Coming from Sharjah, the traffic was normal today, actually not too bad,” said accountant Ali Akbar Khan, a Pakistani father of two. “Usually we face a lot of aggravation and stress crossing the border, the usual places had their delays but overall it was an easy drive today.”

“I didn’t know what to expect this morning,” said Anas Abdulrahman, 36, an Abu Dhabi government employee. “I left a bit early just in case, but the roads seemed fine. I did face the usual issues of trying to find parking though. I guess I have to leave much earlier to avoid that.”