While the GCC at large often seems to base its infrastructural development on that of the UAE – take Doha metro, for example – I often wonder where the UAE turns for inspiration.
I always thought Dubai must have based its roads on those of Los Angeles, a city where you have to drive to get anywhere. Both cities are spread out and both have high-rises constantly coming up faster than infrastructure can accommodate. Compounding this, they both have hot summers. A perfect storm of traffic.
Trying to navigate Jumeriah Lakes Towers or Dubai Marina their busiest, let alone Sheikh Zayed Road on a Thursday evening, is an upsetting ordeal. I really like The Walk, but I hardly ever go for this very reason.
The result of this is an unfriendly culture of driving, with everybody either so wound up by traffic or paranoid of being held up that they disregard social conscience. But that’s another story.
For all its efforts, I still find Dubai to be very much a driver’s city. Of course, it invests huge amounts of money in public transportation; the metro, the tram, new buses, etc. The metro did initially seem to alleviate traffic, but the nearest stop to my house is a 20-minute walk, which would be fine in Europe, but not when its 50 degrees outside. Like buses, though, it is cheap.
I rememeber the 2008 financial crisis was a relief in one respect – the exodus of foreign workers meant much less traffic. I rarely struggled to book or hail a taxi. However, as Dubai returned to prosperity, inevitably people returned. Traffic is, once again, severe.
I personally don’t have much of a choice in the matter – I feel that I have to drive. I live in Dubai and work in Abu Dhabi. I suppose I could take the bus, but this would take me a very long time and I couldn’t ever perfectly time my journey. Moreover, it’s terrifying enough driving here with all the insane driving that goes on – I wouldn’t have the mettle to cycle amongst cars without a box of aluminium surrounding me.
But, to be fair, even if I did have more of a choice, I think I would still choose driving. Perhaps I haven’t engaged enough with the local public transportation system to make an objective statement, but I don’t feel it would work for me. Despite how unpleasant it is to drive to work, I like the convenience of knowing well enough how long it’s going to take me to get somewhere, and being able to go whenever I want. Plus, I enjoy the privacy. And being able to blast out some Floyd – with the volume all the way up to 11.
In the UK, I wouldn’t even consider having a car. For me, it wouldn’t be worth the cost. The public transport systems tend to be excellent. Sheffield has an great tram with its own lane. Not only is it a really convenient form of public transport but, because of its reliability, it alleviates road traffic too. In Oxford, I was rarely more than a five-minute walk away from a bus stop.
The population is going to keep rising, especially in the build up to Expo 2020 and it is crucial to ensure that the infrastructure surrounding new high-rises is capable of large influxes of traffic. The bus-lane system is a really good one. Or better yet, in the Netherlands, public transportation actually runs into a building at the Hague. Being dropped off in the office? Now, that I dig.
halbustani@thenational.ae
Follow Hareth on twitter @harethb
Israel Palestine on Swedish TV 1958-1989
Director: Goran Hugo Olsson
Rating: 5/5
RESULT
Liverpool 4 Southampton 0
Jota (2', 32')
Thiago (37')
Van Dijk (52')
Man of the match: Diogo Jota (Liverpool)
KINGDOM%20OF%20THE%20PLANET%20OF%20THE%20APES
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EDirector%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Wes%20Ball%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EStarring%3A%3C%2Fstrong%3E%20Owen%20Teague%2C%20Freya%20Allen%2C%20Kevin%20Durand%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ERating%3A%20%3C%2Fstrong%3E3.5%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
TRAP
Starring: Josh Hartnett, Saleka Shyamalan, Ariel Donaghue
Director: M Night Shyamalan
Rating: 3/5
The specs
Engine: 2.7-litre 4-cylinder Turbomax
Power: 310hp
Torque: 583Nm
Transmission: 8-speed automatic
Price: From Dh192,500
On sale: Now
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Take Me Apart
Kelela
(Warp)
Villains
Queens of the Stone Age
Matador
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SPECS
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THE SIXTH SENSE
Starring: Bruce Willis, Toni Collette, Hayley Joel Osment
Director: M. Night Shyamalan
Rating: 5/5
Arsenal's pre-season fixtures
Thursday Beat Sydney 2-0 in Sydney
Saturday v Western Sydney Wanderers in Sydney
Wednesday v Bayern Munich in Shanghai
July 22 v Chelsea in Beijing
July 29 v Benfica in London
July 30 v Sevilla in London
Why%20all%20the%20lefties%3F
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FA Cup semi-finals
Saturday: Manchester United v Tottenham Hotspur, 8.15pm (UAE)
Sunday: Chelsea v Southampton, 6pm (UAE)
Matches on Bein Sports
Company Profile
Name: Thndr
Started: 2019
Co-founders: Ahmad Hammouda and Seif Amr
Sector: FinTech
Headquarters: Egypt
UAE base: Hub71, Abu Dhabi
Current number of staff: More than 150
Funds raised: $22 million
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UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
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10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz
if you go
The flights
Direct flights from the UAE to the Nepalese capital, Kathmandu, are available with Air Arabia, (www.airarabia.com) Fly Dubai (www.flydubai.com) or Etihad (www.etihad.com) from Dh1,200 return including taxes. The trek described here started from Jomson, but there are many other start and end point variations depending on how you tailor your trek. To get to Jomson from Kathmandu you must first fly to the lake-side resort town of Pokhara with either Buddha Air (www.buddhaair.com) or Yeti Airlines (www.yetiairlines.com). Both charge around US$240 (Dh880) return. From Pokhara there are early morning flights to Jomson with Yeti Airlines or Simrik Airlines (www.simrikairlines.com) for around US$220 (Dh800) return.
The trek
Restricted area permits (US$500 per person) are required for trekking in the Upper Mustang area. The challenging Meso Kanto pass between Tilcho Lake and Jomson should not be attempted by those without a lot of mountain experience and a good support team. An excellent trekking company with good knowledge of Upper Mustang, the Annaurpuna Circuit and Tilcho Lake area and who can help organise a version of the trek described here is the Nepal-UK run Snow Cat Travel (www.snowcattravel.com). Prices vary widely depending on accommodation types and the level of assistance required.
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The specs: 2018 Ducati SuperSport S
Price, base / as tested: Dh74,900 / Dh85,900
Engine: 937cc
Transmission: Six-speed gearbox
Power: 110hp @ 9,000rpm
Torque: 93Nm @ 6,500rpm
Fuel economy, combined: 5.9L / 100km
Opening day UAE Premiership fixtures, Friday, September 22:
- Dubai Sports City Eagles v Dubai Exiles
- Dubai Hurricanes v Abu Dhabi Saracens
- Jebel Ali Dragons v Abu Dhabi Harlequins