Light at the end of the tunnel for JVT residents

After years of confusion for Jumeirah Village Triangle visitors, an end to that common feeling of getting lost could be in sight as work begins on improved road signage and new district markers.

Some residents of Jumeirah Village Triangle have written the villa numbers on their own. Victor Besa / The National

DUBAI // An end to years of confusion for Jumeirah Village Triangle visitors could be in sight as work begins to improve road signs and provide new district markers.

Residents have been waiting years for work to be completed on the estate of more than 2,000 homes off Sheikh Mohammad bin Zayed Road and Al Khail Road.

Common problems include foul-smelling water flooding on to roads, pest control and ­security.

But it is the lack of road signs and villa numbers that has been the biggest gripe among residents towards the developer, Nakheel.

Work on improving signs and numbered plaques on villas, and possibly a colour-coding system to help identify districts is starting this week, and is expected to take about six months.

“It has been a big problem here for at least a couple of years,” said Muhammad Hammad, a Pakistani worker with Handy Hand Technical Services that works on JVT on property modifications.

“If you don’t know the area, you will get lost. Some people have had to write the number of their house on the building themselves, and this is hard to see from the road.

“It is the only place in Dubai where I still get lost. The villas all look the same, so colour-­coding the districts would be a good idea.”

One improvement Mr Hammad is happy with is the new link road connecting JVT and Jumeirah Park that reopened last month.

“I have a lot of work in the Springs, so that has made my life easier,” he said.

Continuing problems were brought into focus in September when residents vented their anger on Facebook after paramedics stopped to ask for directions to find a patient in need of emergency medical treatment.

On Sunday, JVT’s French resident Sandie Staimese had to wait for her dogs to be delivered after returning from a Christmas break, as the pet-sitters couldn’t find her house.

“Luckily, they were only parked up a few streets away so I could direct them in, but it happens all the time,” Ms Staimese said.

“This kind of confusion has been going on ever since I have been here. Some takeaway services refuse to deliver to JVT, but when ambulances start getting lost it’s serious. These improvements are long overdue.”

British father of two Alex George bought a second-hand villa in the area in 2009.

“A cost for landscaping and signs was included in that,” Mr George said. “Nakheel has been failing to deliver but what is most galling is in the latest community charge invoice there is a line item for signs. I’ve already paid for it once.

“All the other owners have received the same invoices. There have been many incidents where emergency services have failed to arrive at a house.”

Nakheel would not say how much is being spent on the improvements, but a spokeswoman said developers had been working extensively with Dubai Municipality to follow strict guidelines on naming residential areas and managing roads.

“The first housing signs will be going up this week with new plaques and will continue over the next few months,” she said.

“It is not just relabelling houses, but street signposting and district markers. The process will make the area more attractive, as well as being informative. These signs are what residents have wanted, and it’s part of our community enhancement programme.”

Nakheel is also building two malls covering a total of 139,000 square metres in its Jumeirah Village schemes as the company expands its retail portfolio.

The JVT mall will include a 15-screen cinema, a hypermarket, an entertainment area, a department store and shops, restaurants and cafes.