The worst drivers in the world?

There's something funny going on in Dubai. Two years ago, traffic was heading for gridlock. Speeds were excessive, or standstill, and in both, aggressive drivers of 4x4s, blacked out Mercs and irredeemable Sunnies would carve you up, flash at you, barge in where no space existed and generally abuse more cautious and law abiding motorists.

And so today. Thick fog hangs in the air, and you set out with trepidation, expecting to encounter the usual morning thrombosis. But no. Today it was foggy, but the traffic was moving. You could get out from The Greens in minutes because all three lanes of the exit road have been opened. Almost all of the vehicles on the road had lights on, and almost none of those were hazard flashers.(Not so the School Buses - some demented bureaucrat somewhere has decreed that they shall be wired to the brake pedal, so they flash redundantly every time the driver slows for any reason, hazardous or not.) Speeds were generally low, and braking distances maintained. A few trucks trundled along line abreast instead of astern, blocking four lanes out of six, but I can see no way round that.

Yet despite the fog, or maybe because of its calming effect, the journey to work this morning was smooth, stress free and swift.

Maybe they're putting something in the water.

Consumer Rights in Dubai

I posted a few days ago in less than complimentary terms about the new Consumer Rights website being launched. Well, now it has gone live:

www.consumerrights.ae

As a piece of government communication, it is about the best I have yet seen in Dubai, and has to be commended in the highest possible terms. It is cogent, concise, easily navigated and very informative. If only departments such as the RTA could manage the same level of clarity and communication!

One tiny gripe - please, please get rid of the yellow background! It becomes impossible to read after even a few seconds. Pity, because in every other way, it is a beacon of excellence in an otherwise too often murky ocean. Kudos to them!

Rain, rain, and more to come

I think the NCMS got it most right - heavy, thundery rain starting about 4.00am this morning.

They reckon it will last till this afternoon. Weather.com has it tailing off around 7.00pm tonight, and the Met Office at Dubai Airport hangs onto it until tomorrow.

Haven't seen any statistics yet for how much fell overnight, but my impression was that the 'water ponds' evident this morning were smaller than Sunday's accumulations - both the exits from The Greens/Lakes/Meadows were open to Sheikh Zayed Road today, and they were previously closed.

But it's still raining...

Drive safely!

Why I hate Dubai

Oh, fer Pete's sake! I love this city, so it offends me deeply when the powers that be get the simplest of things so spectacularly wrong. Today's fail:

Gulf News this morning carries a bold, well-written half page ad drawing attention to the burning issue of consumer rights and protection. This is important in Dubai, as many, many retailers ride rough-shod over their customers, denying responsibility for faulty goods and generally behaving with cavalier disdain for the rights of those foolish enough to buy from them. Personal experience, big time.

So, as a dissaffected consumer, I immediately typed the URL into my browser. See, the ad worked! I not only read it, I acted on the information. Kudos to the agency who created it.

And so it was with a crushing sense of despair that I read those dread words on screen "This site is under construction. Please come back on Mach 1st".

Come on guys! It's not rocket science. Either get the website ready, or don't run the ad. Don't mess with the lives of the very people you're supposed to protect.

Or is that too complicated for you? Honestly, this city. Sometimes it makes you weep.