Road safety experts say flexible working hours will help reduce traffic congestion in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National
Road safety experts say flexible working hours will help reduce traffic congestion in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National
Road safety experts say flexible working hours will help reduce traffic congestion in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National
Road safety experts say flexible working hours will help reduce traffic congestion in Dubai. Antonie Robertson / The National

Coronavirus: Dubai government's flexible working hours expected to cut traffic congestion


Patrick Ryan
  • English
  • Arabic

A decision to give Dubai government employees flexible working hours could consign morning traffic gridlock to the past, transport experts said.

Public sector workers will have the option to begin work at any time between 6.30am and 8.30am from Sunday, August 16.

The decision could reduce accidents on the city's roads, caused by frustrated drivers rushing to make it to offices on time, said Thomas Edelmann, founder of campaign group Road Safety UAE.

“It is an important step in reducing the morning gridlocks as much as possible,” he said.

“There are a number of benefits to this including the reduction of dangerous behaviour from motorists.

"Buses transporting labourers are still being involved in a significant amount of accidents so there is a need to review the timings of when they are on the roads

“It will save companies time and money as well, if staff members are not late for work because they have been stuck in long traffic jams.”

Government workers can adopt new flexible working hours from Sunday, August 16.

Private school regulator, the Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA), recently said parents will have the choice between continuing distance learning or sending their children back into classrooms, when the new school year starts.

Mr Edelmann said this would also have a positive impact on reducing the level of morning traffic and improving pupil safety.

Road deaths have fallen sharply over the past decade, but on average eight people died every week in 2019 in the UAE.

“It’s too early to say but one of the few positives that have came out of Covid-19 is that companies have reconsidered how they do business,” he said.

“The pandemic has fostered substantial changes that won’t go away.”

Mr Edelmann, a management consultant who has worked for major corporations, said remote working led to a rise in productivity in many sectors.

“People are saving a significant amount of time by not having to travel so much, especially to and from the office,” he said.

“People are working so much more efficiently because they are spending less time on the commute and having to travel to meetings.”

A 2019 study by the World Economic Forum (WEF) said that offering flexible working hours was a much simpler way to reduce traffic congestion than traditional methods such as building more roads.

The study said that technology had meant it was no longer essential to travel to a fixed-point for work.

It added that laptops, high-speed internet and cloud access were now more essential than having access to transport for most professions.

The flexible working model has already been adopted by some countries around the globe.

Finland introduced the Working Hours Act in January. This gave the majority of full-time employees the right to choose where and when they worked for at least half of their working hours.

Another road safety expert said that flexible working hours had been discussed as a method to reduce traffic congestion in the UAE for more than 15 years.

However, it was not until the Covid-19 pandemic that most companies felt the time was right to allow staff to work remotely, said Saleh Jafar, president of the Gulf for Yasa road safety group.

“We’ve already seen a 20 to 30 per cent drop in the level of traffic in Dubai since people started to work from home more,” he said.

“Road safety is not the only area that has benefitted as there are huge advantages to the environment when there are fewer cars on the road.”

He said the onus was now on the private sector to follow the example of the Dubai government and make flexible working hours official policy.

“We need to look at the number of buses and trucks owned by private companies in Dubai,” he said.

“Buses transporting labourers are still being involved in a significant amount of accidents so there is a need to review the timings of when they are on the roads.”

UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Electric scooters: some rules to remember
  • Riders must be 14-years-old or over
  • Wear a protective helmet
  • Park the electric scooter in designated parking lots (if any)
  • Do not leave electric scooter in locations that obstruct traffic or pedestrians
  • Solo riders only, no passengers allowed
  • Do not drive outside designated lanes
Another way to earn air miles

In addition to the Emirates and Etihad programmes, there is the Air Miles Middle East card, which offers members the ability to choose any airline, has no black-out dates and no restrictions on seat availability. Air Miles is linked up to HSBC credit cards and can also be earned through retail partners such as Spinneys, Sharaf DG and The Toy Store.

An Emirates Dubai-London round-trip ticket costs 180,000 miles on the Air Miles website. But customers earn these ‘miles’ at a much faster rate than airline miles. Adidas offers two air miles per Dh1 spent. Air Miles has partnerships with websites as well, so booking.com and agoda.com offer three miles per Dh1 spent.

“If you use your HSBC credit card when shopping at our partners, you are able to earn Air Miles twice which will mean you can get that flight reward faster and for less spend,” says Paul Lacey, the managing director for Europe, Middle East and India for Aimia, which owns and operates Air Miles Middle East.

Labour dispute

The insured employee may still file an ILOE claim even if a labour dispute is ongoing post termination, but the insurer may suspend or reject payment, until the courts resolve the dispute, especially if the reason for termination is contested. The outcome of the labour court proceedings can directly affect eligibility.


- Abdullah Ishnaneh, Partner, BSA Law 

While you're here
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MATCH INFO

What: 2006 World Cup quarter-final
When: July 1
Where: Gelsenkirchen Stadium, Gelsenkirchen, Germany

Result:
England 0 Portugal 0
(Portugal win 3-1 on penalties)

Other ways to buy used products in the UAE

UAE insurance firm Al Wathba National Insurance Company (AWNIC) last year launched an e-commerce website with a facility enabling users to buy car wrecks.

Bidders and potential buyers register on the online salvage car auction portal to view vehicles, review condition reports, or arrange physical surveys, and then start bidding for motors they plan to restore or harvest for parts.

Physical salvage car auctions are a common method for insurers around the world to move on heavily damaged vehicles, but AWNIC is one of the few UAE insurers to offer such services online.

For cars and less sizeable items such as bicycles and furniture, Dubizzle is arguably the best-known marketplace for pre-loved.

Founded in 2005, in recent years it has been joined by a plethora of Facebook community pages for shifting used goods, including Abu Dhabi Marketplace, Flea Market UAE and Arabian Ranches Souq Market while sites such as The Luxury Closet and Riot deal largely in second-hand fashion.

At the high-end of the pre-used spectrum, resellers such as Timepiece360.ae, WatchBox Middle East and Watches Market Dubai deal in authenticated second-hand luxury timepieces from brands such as Rolex, Hublot and Tag Heuer, with a warranty.

HIV on the rise in the region

A 2019 United Nations special analysis on Aids reveals 37 per cent of new HIV infections in the Mena region are from people injecting drugs.

New HIV infections have also risen by 29 per cent in western Europe and Asia, and by 7 per cent in Latin America, but declined elsewhere.

Egypt has shown the highest increase in recorded cases of HIV since 2010, up by 196 per cent.

Access to HIV testing, treatment and care in the region is well below the global average.  

Few statistics have been published on the number of cases in the UAE, although a UNAIDS report said 1.5 per cent of the prison population has the virus.

David Haye record

Total fights: 32
Wins: 28
Wins by KO: 26
Losses: 4

The specs
 
Engine: 3.0-litre six-cylinder turbo
Power: 398hp from 5,250rpm
Torque: 580Nm at 1,900-4,800rpm
Transmission: Eight-speed auto
Fuel economy, combined: 6.5L/100km
On sale: December
Price: From Dh330,000 (estimate)
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
In numbers: PKK’s money network in Europe

Germany: PKK collectors typically bring in $18 million in cash a year – amount has trebled since 2010

Revolutionary tax: Investigators say about $2 million a year raised from ‘tax collection’ around Marseille

Extortion: Gunman convicted in 2023 of demanding $10,000 from Kurdish businessman in Stockholm

Drug trade: PKK income claimed by Turkish anti-drugs force in 2024 to be as high as $500 million a year

Denmark: PKK one of two terrorist groups along with Iranian separatists ASMLA to raise “two-digit million amounts”

Contributions: Hundreds of euros expected from typical Kurdish families and thousands from business owners

TV channel: Kurdish Roj TV accounts frozen and went bankrupt after Denmark fined it more than $1 million over PKK links in 2013 

The%20specs
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPowertrain%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle%20electric%20motor%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPower%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E201hp%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETorque%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E310Nm%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETransmission%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3ESingle-speed%20auto%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EBattery%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E53kWh%20lithium-ion%20battery%20pack%20(GS%20base%20model)%3B%2070kWh%20battery%20pack%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3ETouring%20range%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E350km%20(GS)%3B%20480km%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EPrice%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3EFrom%20Dh129%2C900%20(GS)%3B%20Dh149%2C000%20(GF)%0D%3Cbr%3E%3Cstrong%3EOn%20sale%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Now%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Key facilities
  • Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
  • Premier League-standard football pitch
  • 400m Olympic running track
  • NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
  • 600-seat auditorium
  • Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
  • An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
  • Specialist robotics and science laboratories
  • AR and VR-enabled learning centres
  • Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
Sole survivors
  • Cecelia Crocker was on board Northwest Airlines Flight 255 in 1987 when it crashed in Detroit, killing 154 people, including her parents and brother. The plane had hit a light pole on take off
  • George Lamson Jr, from Minnesota, was on a Galaxy Airlines flight that crashed in Reno in 1985, killing 68 people. His entire seat was launched out of the plane
  • Bahia Bakari, then 12, survived when a Yemenia Airways flight crashed near the Comoros in 2009, killing 152. She was found clinging to wreckage after floating in the ocean for 13 hours.
  • Jim Polehinke was the co-pilot and sole survivor of a 2006 Comair flight that crashed in Lexington, Kentucky, killing 49.
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Tips to stay safe during hot weather
  • Stay hydrated: Drink plenty of fluids, especially water. Avoid alcohol and caffeine, which can increase dehydration.
  • Seek cool environments: Use air conditioning, fans, or visit community spaces with climate control.
  • Limit outdoor activities: Avoid strenuous activity during peak heat. If outside, seek shade and wear a wide-brimmed hat.
  • Dress appropriately: Wear lightweight, loose and light-coloured clothing to facilitate heat loss.
  • Check on vulnerable people: Regularly check in on elderly neighbours, young children and those with health conditions.
  • Home adaptations: Use blinds or curtains to block sunlight, avoid using ovens or stoves, and ventilate living spaces during cooler hours.
  • Recognise heat illness: Learn the signs of heat exhaustion and heat stroke (dizziness, confusion, rapid pulse, nausea), and seek medical attention if symptoms occur.
Global state-owned investor ranking by size

1.

United States

2.

China

3.

UAE

4.

Japan

5

Norway

6.

Canada

7.

Singapore

8.

Australia

9.

Saudi Arabia

10.

South Korea

Specs

Engine: 51.5kW electric motor

Range: 400km

Power: 134bhp

Torque: 175Nm

Price: From Dh98,800

Available: Now