Traffic woes affecting businesses in JBR's The Walk

Restaurants say congestion, parking charges and construction is sending diners elsewhere, while residents are also angry at the bustle.

The Walk at Jumeirah Beach Residences is attracting fewer visitors, business owners say, because of traffic, paid parking and construction work blocking the view of the beach. Jaime Puebla / The NationalShow less

DUBAI // Traffic jams, building work and high parking fees are putting people off visiting a popular beachside development, say business owners and residents.

Restaurants and coffee shops along The Walk, a 1.7-kilometre one-way strip at Jumeirah Beach Residences in Dubai Marina, say they are losing customers.

"I just don't come here as much," said Carlos Soto, a Spanish expatriate who was at The Walk for a business lunch. "My family and I used to come here often but have stopped coming because of the parking situation. If infrastructure gets better we will come back."

Mr Soto paid Dh5 an hour to leave his car at a new private parking lot beside the Hilton Dubai Jumeirah Resort. At weekends the price goes up to Dh10 per hour.

Dubai Properties Group, which owns JBR, said paid parking was introduced to make visiting easier, after spaces had been lost because of the construction of Al Sufouh tram.

"The decision was taken to improve the parking for visitors to The Walk at JBR and the application of this nominal fee has resulted in greater availability," said a spokesman.

The area's traffic woes were added to after Meraas Holding announced last year it was building a mall extending nearly 1km along the beach.

Restaurants owners, who have seen their beachfront view replaced by construction and traffic jams, said customers were unhappy and many stayed away.

"Most customers do not like to come to JBR now," said Mohammed Selim Mohammed, manager of El Chico Mexican restaurant.

"They tell us they can't come again because they have to pay for parking. A family with children will not come here to spend just an hour. We are losing people."

He believes one solution is to allow customers free parking.

"Restaurants could be allowed to stamp tickets so they don't have to pay for parking," said Mr Mohammed, adding he was anxious about dwindling numbers

The manager of a nearby Indian restaurant said customers numbers had fallen but he could not specify by how much.

"Our restaurant is far from the paid parking so people end up going to eat out closer," he said. "There has been a drastic fall in our numbers."

A former frequent visitor to the area, Janhar Ramakrishnan, admitted he had been put off going.

"It took me more than an hour to get out of the parking area on a Thursday evening," he said. "It is not the same as before. The purpose of developing such a place has been lost. It has become very chaotic. We don't go as often any more."

People living in JBR said they had been affected, especially on weekend evenings when the roads were heavily congested.

"It is a real nightmare for people who want to visit us," said one local, Priscilla Browne. "Our friends do not want visit us on the weekends. The traffic is constant at certain times. It starts on Wednesdays and only ends on Saturdays."

Dubai Properties has promised the situation will improve.

"There are development works taking place in JBR which will result in 1,200 underground car-parking spaces," a spokesman said. "Once the development is complete there will be far greater availability of parking.

"The Walk is very popular, particularly on weekends, and we encourage visitors to utilise public transport, including the Dubai Metro, which has stations at Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Lakes Towers.

"We work very closely with authorities to regulate the flow of traffic, especially at peak times."

Despite all of the problems with traffic and development, not everyone is deterred.

"There are inconveniences but Dubai is booming," said Neeta Kumari, who is considering moving to JBR.

"I love this place and I will continue to come, no matter what."