Sheikh Zayed Rd and drivers in Dubai

Sheikh Zayed Road

Main street in Dubai, along which Dubai was built.

Phot. FB funpage Makhsoom Dubai

As you can see once was a street with two lanes in each direction. The oldest  'skyscraper' in Dubai (Toyota building). It has 15 floors :) Was built somewhere in the 70s of the previous century.

Back to the Sheikh Zayed Road. 3 photos from the last 20 years! Year 1990 two lanes in each direction in the middle of the desert. As you can see Dubai in 1990 was a desert with a few buildings. 13 years later - the street is more like today - the number of lanes increases. And Downtown Dubai is raising. Emirates Towers already is there :)

Fot. http://www.architecturelist.com

Next one from 2008, sheikh Zayed Rd has today's 'thickness' - 6 lanes in each direction.

Fot. http://www.architecturelist.com

What inspired me to write about Sheikh Zayed Road? I was standing there in a giant traffic jam. Complete blockage of six lanes is really possible! Traffic jams are a daily basis during peak hours but the worst are on Thursday and Friday evenings. Here weekend is Friday and Saturday.

One of the most complex intersections in the city. It is a crossroads near the Dubai World Trade Centre. It has several levels. Huge roundabout at ground level, underground junction, flyovers and  Dubai Metro. In the picture you can not see how it looks like, but I had to focus on driving :)

And here is the same intersection in the past :)

Fot. znalezione w sieci

Drivers in Dubai

Ehh that's another story! Drivers can be divided into several categories.

First of all, in my opinion, the worst taxi drivers in the world! I do not like to ride a taxi here and always you have to wear a seatbelt! They run as insane. They often do not know how to keep the car speed and tug terribly, and all taxis have automatic transmission. Some of them come to Dubai without driving license, they learn how to drive here and than start to work as a taxi drivers. Most of them are from India or Pakistan, and the traffic there is terrible. 

The second group consists of people from Asia, when you are watching films about traffic from India, China and other countries of that continent, it makes my hair curl. 

The third group - the demigods, the white people hehe. Most of them believe that they are great drivers and rushesis in theirs big super cars.

And the fourth group - the gods - native Emiraties and citizens of Saudi Arabia. Super cars, all windows tinted to the maximum, including the front! Windows are so dark that at  the night often see a lighted lamp in the middle! And they are speeding. I'm allergic especially to those who are going quickly and flashing lights to give way to them!

But there is something that amazes me! Children in cars, no kid seats, no seat belt, going from back sits to the front and vice versa.

In the nursery there are campaigns - my dad / mom is a great - wear sitbelts, or boughta seat tor me! There are huge fines for not wearing seat belts and carry children without seats, but they don't care :/ If I can take pictures once I will post it.

Last I saw a daddy with about a 3-year-old son on his lap behind the wheel, running 120 km per hour on the Sheikh Zayed Road! Can you imagine?!