Roads clogged across Abu Dhabi

Motorists are spending more time in rush-hour traffic because of changes in school and work schedules during Ramadan.

Traffic near The Greens in Dubai is bumper-to-bumper in the mornings.

ABU DHABI // Motorists are spending more time in rush-hour traffic because of changes in school and work schedules during the holy month, police and residents said yesterday. "When it's not Ramadan, some of the jobs start early, some at seven, some at eight," said Major Ahmed al Neyadi,spokesman for the Abu Dhabi Police traffic and patrols department. "Now, all of them are finishing at the same time." The increased traffic during Ramadan rush hours has led to accidents, Major Neyadi said, and those in turn caused more congestion. "Drivers should drive carefully, leave proper space between them and other cars and be patient, even if they are fasting," he said. He warned that roads were also crowded from 5pm to 6pm and some drivers might drive recklessly as they rushed home for evening prayers and iftar. A Department of Planning and Economy report this summer warned that the economy was losing Dh5 billion (US$1.4bn) a year because of traffic congestion. Among the report's proposals was that starting and finishing times for Government, private businesses and schools be staggered. Those are recommendations that Rashed Mohammed, a former police officer, would like to see implemented quickly. "Why the school and work start at the same time?" he said yesterday around 1.15pm as he waited for his car to be fuelled at a petrol station on Airport Road near Delma Street. Outside the Rosary School near Abu Dhabi Media Company around 1.30pm yesterday, parents double-parked their vehicles and blocked school buses on a side street as they fetched their children. "The traffic is not only bad, it is painful and drastic," Mofid Hakoum said as he waited for his daughter. "Everybody wants to rush and they want priority over the others. No one is respecting the road." Mr Hakoum said his travel time to the school was doubled during Ramadan because parents all went to the schools around 8am and again at 1.30pm. People hoping to catch taxis are facing increased competition during the busy hours this month. Huda al Kaabi,a communications officer for the Centre for Regulation of Transport by Hire Cars, advised passengers to leave home and work earlier if they wanted to avoid traffic congestion. More than 2,500 taxis were available to passengers, she said, but during Ramadan, when everyone seems to need a cab at the same time, there is huge pressure on the service. "This is traffic month," Capt Haji al Bloushi said last week. Beginning on Monday, 25 patrol cars from a private company will start responding to and making reports on minor accidents, which police said would free officers to concentrate on more serious accidents and to patrol. [e-mail]