Traffic woe for Ajman residents

The heavy flow of cars and trucks means major roads and motorways are no-go areas during the morning and early evening rush hours.

Traffic in Ajman is on the rise as more people move to the emirate for cheaper rents. Sarah Dea / The National

AJMAN // Long tailbacks and bumper-to-bumper traffic jams are making life increasingly difficult for motorists commuting around Ajman and to jobs in other emirates.

The heavy flow of cars and lorries means major roads and motorways, such as Al Ittihad Street, Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid Road and Corniche Road, are no-go areas during the morning and evening rush hours. And traffic problems persist late into the night.

While residents admit that congestion has always been an issue, the problem has been steadily getting worse as more people move to the emirate, lured by cheaper rents, putting increased strain on its road network.

“There is horrible congestion compared to the last 10 years,” said Mohammed Salim, who has lived in Ajman for 27 years. “It is due to development and increased urbanisation and population. The main streets have too much traffic, especially in the morning, starting from 7am, and in the evening at 6pm.”

The 54-year-old Palestinian teacher said that although the volume of cars on the road was not as high as in neighbouring Sharjah, the emirate would soon face similar problems unless a solution was found.

Majdi Saeed, 42, who has lived in Ajman for four years, said the volume of cars on the roads had increased by about 60 per cent in the time he has lived there as the population has continued to grow, causing many problems for residents.

In an attempt to tackle traffic jams and divert motorists to alternative routes away from the busiest areas and black spots, Ajman Police deploys patrols at major junctions such as Rona Roundabout, Hamdan Centre and the Corniche.

Part of the problem, however, lies with the motorists who do not abide by the rules of the road and use illegal manoeuvres and even drive down the wrong lane in an attempt to get ahead of other cars, said Capt Rashid bin Hindi, head of the detective and traffic control department at Ajman Traffic Department.

“The reason behind the congestion in Ajman lies in the high population and the lack of motorists’ commitment to drive in the right lane.

“For the Nuaimiya area, the traffic is due to the high population and street repairs that started late. It is a commercial and residential area. Half of the emirate’s population lives there because it is filled with towers, buildings and shops,” Capt bin Hindi said.

He said that congestion near the Hamdan Centre on Al Ittihad Street was caused by drivers not staying in the correct lane and trying to squeeze ahead of other cars, causing a bottleneck and long delays.

“There are seven patrols working 24 hours on the streets where car accidents are frequent, such as Sheikh Khalifa, Sheikh Rashid bin Humaid and Al Ittihad streets,” said Capt bin Hindi.

He also said that 10 police motorcycles were used during peak times “because of their ease of moving among the cars”, and that police drove unmarked cars with officers on the lookout for motorists committing traffic offences.

Capt bin Hindi said the emirate’s traffic committee was looking at solutions, including building more bridges, expanding roads to increase the number of lanes, as well as installing more traffic cameras and radars.