Sharjah’s Motor-car Madness
Posted by jonathanfryer on Sunday, 24th February, 2008
The Arabian Gulf emirate of Sharjah has both the advantage and disadvantage of being next door to big and brassy Dubai. In comparison, it is a conservative place — there’s no alcohol in Sharjah, for example — but the Arab world’s low-cost airline, Air Arabia, is based there and property prices (to buy or rent) are considerably cheaper than Dubai’s, making it a popular place for commuters.
Therin lies the problem. At quiet times of the day, you can drive from Sharjah to Dubai in 15 or 20 minutes, whereas during rush-hour it can take up to 3 hours. People nonetheless do this. day in, day out. No wonder there has been a recent outbreak of road-rage in the emirate. Even when the Sharjah commuters get home, their difficulties are not over, as there aren’t enough spaces to park all the cars, so it can take people half an hour or more to find someone to park anywhere near their apartment.
Dubai itself is now building a new metro system; the first line should be ready in September of next year. But otherwise, public trasport provision in the rapdily expanding conurbations of the region is woefully inadequate. At the current rate of population and car ownership expansion, it won’t be long before there is permanent gridlock. But petrol is only a fraction of the price of Europe’s, and for many people, there is no alternative to the car. Something will have to be done soon, though, or the whole place will literally grind to a halt.
