{"id":35842,"date":"2025-11-07T07:29:18","date_gmt":"2025-11-07T07:29:18","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/?p=35842"},"modified":"2025-11-07T07:49:12","modified_gmt":"2025-11-07T07:49:12","slug":"drivers-in-the-uae-who-spend-up-to-four-hours-a-day-stuck-in-traffic-are-optimistic-about-the-newly-announced-highway","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/2025\/11\/07\/drivers-in-the-uae-who-spend-up-to-four-hours-a-day-stuck-in-traffic-are-optimistic-about-the-newly-announced-highway\/","title":{"rendered":"Drivers in the UAE, who spend up to four hours a day stuck in traffic, are optimistic about the newly announced highway.”"},"content":{"rendered":"\t\t
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Every day before dawn, 29-year-old Lebanese math teacher Mohyeddin Yousef embarks on a commute spanning three emirates. Residing in Ajman, he first takes his children to school in Sharjah, then heads to his job in Dubai.<\/p>

\u201cOn a typical day, the drive takes around 90 minutes, but an accident can easily extend it to two hours,\u201d he explained. \u201cI end up spending three to four hours stuck in traffic every day.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Mohyeddin joins a rising number of commuters who face dense traffic during mornings and evenings between the northern emirates and Dubai. The UAE\u2019s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure reports that vehicle ownership is growing at over eight percent each year \u2014 roughly four times the global rate of around two percent \u2014 driven by population growth and increased economic activity.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Mohyeddin joins a rising number of commuters who face dense traffic during mornings and evenings between the northern emirates and Dubai. The UAE\u2019s Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure reports that vehicle ownership is growing at over eight percent each year \u2014 roughly four times the global rate of around two percent \u2014 driven by population growth and increased economic activity.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Authorities note that congestion during peak hours has worsened due to school and work schedules coinciding on both federal and local roads.<\/p>

Throughout the years, Mohyeddin has been involved in three traffic accidents, one of which occurred on the Dubai\u2013Sharjah highway and remains etched in his memory. \u201cI\u2019ve witnessed it all \u2014 mangled vehicles, fires, injuries, even fatalities,\u201d he shared. \u201cBy the time I arrive at work, I\u2019m completely exhausted.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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The lengthy daily drive has disrupted his family life. \u201cBy the time I return home, I\u2019m too exhausted to spend time with my children,\u201d he explained. \u201cI often go to bed soon after sunset to rest, and when I wake up, my family is already asleep. Weekends are really the only time I get to be with them.\u201d<\/p>

For commuters like Mohyeddin, the government\u2019s Dh170-billion initiative to upgrade transport infrastructure\u2014including a fourth national highway linking the northern emirates to Abu Dhabi\u2014brings optimism for quicker and safer travel. The development aims to facilitate more efficient movement of both people and goods while reducing congestion on busy routes like the E11.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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He suggested analyzing where residents live and work to better plan solutions. \u201cTechnology could assist \u2014 perhaps an app that tracks commuting trends,\u201d he said. He also thinks enhancing public transport and tackling housing costs could provide longer-term relief. \u201cIf metro lines were extended, more people would likely use them,\u201d he added. \u201cInvesting in public transit would be cheaper and more effective in the long run.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Rashid Saif Al Bedwawi, 54, from Dubai, described traffic congestion as a significant barrier to productivity. \u201cWe spend countless hours stuck in traffic every day,\u201d he noted. \u201cIt affects meetings, appointments, and even business opportunities.\u201d<\/p>

He commended the UAE\u2019s ongoing efforts to modernize its transport infrastructure but emphasized the need to also focus on driver behavior and vehicle safety. \u201cThe problem isn\u2019t just the roads,\u201d he explained. \u201cMany outdated vehicles remain in use, and too many drivers ignore basic safety rules.\u201d<\/p>

Rashid suggested that stricter vehicle inspections, tougher enforcement of traffic laws, and public awareness initiatives could improve road safety and help the country achieve its targets of reducing both congestion and accidents nationwide.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Sharjah resident Jamila Ahmed, who travels to Dubai for work every day, shared similar frustrations. \u201cWhat should be a short commute now takes over an hour each way because of heavy traffic, turning a simple drive into an exhausting ordeal,\u201d she explained.<\/p>

She described the daily gridlock during peak hours as \u201cstressful and unpredictable,\u201d emphasizing how the long hours on the road have disrupted her routine. \u201cBeing stuck in traffic causes both stress and physical strain. It starts my day on a low note and leaves me drained when I get home. As a mother, it also limits the time I can spend with my children,\u201d she added.<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Jamila expressed optimism about the government\u2019s new transport initiative. \u201cIt demonstrates a serious effort to tackle the traffic challenge and is an essential measure to manage the rising number of vehicles,\u201d she said. \u201cShorter, less stressful commutes would allow for more personal time, lower daily stress, and a healthier work-life balance.\u201d<\/p>

She also highlighted the role employers could play in reducing commuter pressure. \u201cI hope companies consider flexible arrangements, like shorter working hours or remote work,\u201d she noted. \u201cSuch measures could be just as impactful as new roads in improving people\u2019s overall quality of life.\u201d<\/p>\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t

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Drivers in the UAE, often enduring up to four hours daily in traffic congestion, are hopeful and enthusiastic about the recently announced highway, anticipating smoother commutes and significant time savings.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":35843,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"pmpro_default_level":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"post_template":[],"top_category":[],"class_list":["post-35842","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized","pmpro-has-access"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35842","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=35842"}],"version-history":[{"count":4,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35842\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":35852,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/35842\/revisions\/35852"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/35843"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=35842"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=35842"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=35842"},{"taxonomy":"post_template","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/post_template?post=35842"},{"taxonomy":"top_category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/insider18.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/top_category?post=35842"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}