JLT drivers face six months of gridlock

As more people move in, the single access route to Sheikh Zayed Road is often jammed, while a second lane is not close to completion.

Morning rush hour near Dubai's Jumeirah Lake Towers.

DUBAI // Residents of Jumeirah Lakes Towers (JLT) face a six-month wait for relief from huge queues to leave the development each morning. As the number of people living on the development has steadily risen over 18 months, the single access road to Sheikh Zayed Road has become choked with traffic, particularly during the morning and evening rush hours.

With neighbouring developments, including Dubai Marina, The Greens and The Springs, also heavily congested, there is increasing pressure on the Roads and Transport Authority to find solutions to appease residents and developers who wish to see planning promises honoured. JLT residents say they are often faced with 30-minute jams on internal roads before even reaching the main queue to join Sheikh Zayed Road.

The problem is exacerbated by ongoing building work, which means lanes are often closed. A spokesman for Dubai Multi Commodities Centre (DMCC), which manages the development, said a second access lane to Sheikh Zayed Road had always been planned. Although this extra route is being built, it has been subject to long delays. The spokesman said: "The ultimate goal is to provide JLT residents with unrestricted access to the Sheikh Zayed Road through the existing centre-access road as well as an exit at the north-west of the development and access to the new Western Parallel Road. Negotiations with the RTA are ongoing but it may take another six months to resolve."

The Western Parallel Road is intended to ease pressure on Sheikh Zayed Road by offering Al Khail Road as an alternative route. The spokesman said DMCC had met the RTA to attempt to resolve the problem and move forward with construction of the planned road infrastructure. However, it is understood that the RTA is concerned that the additional access lane could impede traffic flow on Sheikh Zayed Road itself. The RTA did not respond to requests for comment. Many residents of JLT a development of about 80 towers opposite Dubai Marina commute regularly to Abu Dhabi. They say their journey time is effectively doubled by queues to leave the development.

James Simpson, 33, from England, blamed poor design. "It stands to reason that having a single access and entry point for a development of this scale will lead to traffic congestion," he said. "The roads should have been completed before properties were sold or leased. Many residents are very angry because ease of access to Sheikh Zayed Road was a major reason why many chose to move here. But we are trapped."

Initially the access road allowed traffic flow in both directions. Now, however, it is one-way forcing motorists to take a long loop through the development. Recently DMCC tried to ease the gridlock by employing someone to direct traffic but the man was moved on by the police, according to the DMCC spokesman. With the traffic problems apparently getting steadily worse and no solution imminent, residents such as Alisdair Gordon, from Scotland, are becoming despondent.

He said: "I would estimate that the development is only about 60 per cent occupied and the traffic is already terrible. When more people move in it will become ridiculous. "My apartment is very close to Sheikh Zayed Road but I face a 2.5km diversion because of the one-way rule. Building a second access road should be a greater priority than filling the lakes." JLT residents are not alone in facing long rush-hour traffic jams and congestion bottlenecks.

The string of developments that stretch from the Mall of the Emirates to Jebel Ali all rely on access to Sheikh Zayed Road and residents of districts such as The Greens, Springs and Discovery Gardens all face morning delays as they are funnelled on to the motorway through narrow access roads. The problems are most acute during school terms, when parents transporting children add to the traffic, and after bad weather, when roads often flood and crumble. The RTA has sought to tackle this problem through building additional road infrastructure in these areas.

A flyover intended to reduce congestion in The Greens by offering a direct route to Media City was completed six months ago but remains shut. Some residents are moving temporary barriers and using the flyover, despite signs warning that the road is closed. Other drivers cut across wasteland and through construction sites. The RTA had hoped people would use the Metro to commute, but the delay in opening several stations has minimised its potential to cut traffic bottlenecks.