Town Square residents Gabriel Martinez, Kessie Bebel and Ghadir Shaar pictured near the land beside their homes that is being used by partying quad bikers and speeding motorists. Antonie Robertson / The National
Town Square residents Gabriel Martinez, Kessie Bebel and Ghadir Shaar pictured near the land beside their homes that is being used by partying quad bikers and speeding motorists. Antonie Robertson / The National
Town Square residents Gabriel Martinez, Kessie Bebel and Ghadir Shaar pictured near the land beside their homes that is being used by partying quad bikers and speeding motorists. Antonie Robertson / The National
Town Square residents Gabriel Martinez, Kessie Bebel and Ghadir Shaar pictured near the land beside their homes that is being used by partying quad bikers and speeding motorists. Antonie Robertson / T

Sleepless nights for Dubai families as boy racers use road as drag strip


Patrick Ryan
  • English
  • Arabic

Families in one of Dubai’s most popular desert communities have hit out at boy racers they say have left them with sleepless nights for months.

The road leading to Town Square has been turned into a drag strip by speeding cars and quad bikes, they said.

More than 1,000 residents signed a petition to ask the authorities for more speed cameras in the area.

Dubai Police's Barsha division told The National they recently began a crackdown and would "hold offenders accountable for their reckless actions".

“I rarely enjoy a good night’s sleep now,” said Syrian resident Ghadir Shaar, 33.

I just dread going to bed now, especially at the weekends

“People race up and down the Al Qudra Road at all hours, near our homes, and they are also driving on the sand dunes outside late at night and into the morning.

"I just dread going to bed now, especially at the weekends, because I know what’s going to happen. I moved here six months ago and it has never stopped.”

The Syrian, who is the director of a media production company, said cameras and patrols were needed to deter offenders.

“I got more than 1,000 signatures from people in Town Square as well as the communities in Arabian Ranches, Mira and Damac Hills,” he said.

“There are so many people affected by this. It starts at 8pm and goes on until 6am.”

The problem has gone on for more than a year, as The National reported in January.

There have even been several confrontations between residents and late-night quad bike racers.

“There is a massive area of sand behind our homes and they are using it to rev up their cars and quads,” said Frankie Fitzsimons, 30, a New Zealander who lives in Town Square with her husband.

“I think they are doing it to wind people up at this stage. One night was particularly bad which led to my husband and other residents confronting them.

"They stopped for half an hour and started again, when we went back out they said it was public land and they could do whatever they wanted."

Kessie Bebel, a 36-year-old teacher from France, urged developer Nshama, which manages the community, to step in and back their complaints.

“It’s really unfair how a few selfish people are being allowed to ruin 900 lives every night,” she said.

“Every time we go out to complain to those making the noise it stops for a few minutes and then starts up again 10 minutes later louder than before.”

Dubai residents raised more than 2,500 noise complaints last year, according to the emirate’s municipality.

Many related to construction work in Dubai Marina and Jumeirah Village Circle.

The permitted noise level in Dubai is 30 to 40 decibels overnight and 40 to 50 decibels from 7am to 8pm.

Police recently confiscated 27 vehicles in the area for a number of traffic offences, including driving heavily modified cars with power boosters to increase speed.

Other offences included concealing number plates and driving without a licence.

Brig Abdul Rahim bin Shafia, head of Barsha Police Station, said a campaign in the area was aimed at "ensuring road security, reducing the number of traffic injuries and related deaths, as well as protecting properties and holding offenders accountable for their reckless actions".

MATCH INFO

What: India v Afghanistan, first Test
When: Starts Thursday
Where: M Chinnaswamy Stadium, Bengalaru

England XI for second Test

Rory Burns, Keaton Jennings, Ben Stokes, Joe Root (c), Jos Buttler, Moeen Ali, Ben Foakes (wk), Sam Curran, Adil Rashid, Jack Leach, James Anderson

Some of Darwish's last words

"They see their tomorrows slipping out of their reach. And though it seems to them that everything outside this reality is heaven, yet they do not want to go to that heaven. They stay, because they are afflicted with hope." - Mahmoud Darwish, to attendees of the Palestine Festival of Literature, 2008

His life in brief: Born in a village near Galilee, he lived in exile for most of his life and started writing poetry after high school. He was arrested several times by Israel for what were deemed to be inciteful poems. Most of his work focused on the love and yearning for his homeland, and he was regarded the Palestinian poet of resistance. Over the course of his life, he published more than 30 poetry collections and books of prose, with his work translated into more than 20 languages. Many of his poems were set to music by Arab composers, most significantly Marcel Khalife. Darwish died on August 9, 2008 after undergoing heart surgery in the United States. He was later buried in Ramallah where a shrine was erected in his honour.

If you go:
The flights: Etihad, Emirates, British Airways and Virgin all fly from the UAE to London from Dh2,700 return, including taxes
The tours: The Tour for Muggles usually runs several times a day, lasts about two-and-a-half hours and costs £14 (Dh67)
Harry Potter and the Cursed Child is on now at the Palace Theatre. Tickets need booking significantly in advance
Entrance to the Harry Potter exhibition at the House of MinaLima is free
The hotel: The grand, 1909-built Strand Palace Hotel is in a handy location near the Theatre District and several of the key Harry Potter filming and inspiration sites. The family rooms are spacious, with sofa beds that can accommodate children, and wooden shutters that keep out the light at night. Rooms cost from £170 (Dh808).

COMPANY PROFILE
Name: HyperSpace
 
Started: 2020
 
Founders: Alexander Heller, Rama Allen and Desi Gonzalez
 
Based: Dubai, UAE
 
Sector: Entertainment 
 
Number of staff: 210 
 
Investment raised: $75 million from investors including Galaxy Interactive, Riyadh Season, Sega Ventures and Apis Venture Partners
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