Ambulance lost on call-out in Dubai neighbourhood has residents up in arms

Residents of Jumeirah Village Triangle spray painted signs to help people to find their way around the village. Victor Besa for The National

DUBAI // Jumeirah Village Triangle residents are calling for better signage after paramedics on an emergency call-out had to stop to ask for directions.

The incident has highlighted long-standing problems in the area because of a lack of named roads and different districts having the same number.

Residents who were asked how to find a patient’s house by the paramedics took to Facebook to show their annoyance at an ongoing stalemate with developers Nakheel.

A petition was submitted to the company demanding improvements 12 months ago but little has been done since.

Security is gradually improving in the area after a spate of break-ins and car thefts, with new entry posts due to open soon. But confusing signposts and few named roads are making life tough for visitors.

After the lost ambulance incident, one resident posted: “They’re searching for 9L, just tried to explain them the way. Speedy recovery to whomever.”

In August last year, more than 330 JVT residents signed a petition supported by photographic evidence of problems such as open electrical boxes, exposed manhole covers, building rubble, infestation of insects and a man-made lake left unfinished.

But confusion over the road layout is causing most concern, said Dima El Ayoubi, 30, a JVT resident of about three years from Lebanon.

“We live in District 3B and there are three different 3Bs, so it is very confusing,” she said.

“It is a big concern that an ambulance or fire crew may not be able to find my house if I needed their help in an emergency.

“They should change the whole signing description of the districts and roads; it is not easy to understand. Naming the streets would be a plus; only Tulip Street and Orchid Street are named at the moment.”

The idea of renaming streets has been supported by South African Ken Currie, an engineering consultant.

Despite living in Tulip Street, he said visitors still had difficulty finding him.

“It is more by luck that people find where they intend to be going,” he said. “Naming the districts and the streets would certainly make it easier. It is frustrating when you are expecting a home delivery, or when a taxi doesn’t show up because the driver can’t find the place.

“If you don’t know about the big speed humps then they can be an issue also, especially for emergency vehicles.”

Another resident, Sandie Staimesse, from France, said there has been little improvement to infrastructure or signage in the three years she has lived in JVT.

“Taxis still get lost and lots of restaurants refuse to deliver in JVT,” she said. “Sometimes, in the same district, a number of houses have the exact same address and I keep receiving deliveries that are not for me.”

The ambulance service was not available to comment on the issue, or the specific incident reported last weekend, but a paramedic working in Dubai said the area had become tough to navigate around.

“It is difficult for medics to find these places,” he said. “The streets there are only numbers.”

JVT remains popular with tenants and investors due to the type of accommodation it offers and its good road links.

The development is smaller than Jumeirah Village Circle, also built by Nakheel, and last year it was announced that a two million square foot retail centre with multiscreen cinemas, hypermarket and restaurants would be built.

A Nakheel spokesman said the company was committed to improving the situation.

He said: “We continue to bring more services and facilities to our communities as part of our ongoing commitment to enhancing and improving our existing developments.

“We acknowledge some of the concerns of the community. Works are in progress to enhance the directional signage for Jumeirah Village Triangle and Jumeirah Village Circle.

“We apologise for the inconvenience faced by residents and visitors following this incident.”