Dubai has a big traffic problem, no doubt about it. I’m not talking about the reckless driving, which deserves a post all on its own, but the congestion and endless traffic jams that have started to become commonplace in the last few years. Dubai is undergoing a massive development programme at the moment, largely driven by the government’s desire to rid itself of dependency on oil as a sole source of income, and this programme has to be seen as a good thing in the long term. The short term inconveniences caused by a multitude of road and construction projects just have to be tolerated as ‘growing pains’.

One by-product of the development programme is the increase in the number of people now working in Dubai and, since these folk need transport, the number of vehicles on the road. According to the last statistic I read, Dubai has a population of around 1 million, yet there are apparantly 1/2 million cars on the road! No wonder there are traffic problems; Dubai is not a large city by any means and there is a limit to how many congestion-reducing roads and bypasses you can build. So the Dubai government came up with a plan – the Metro.

The Metro idea was conceived in 2004 with actual construction commencing in early 2006. The US$ 4.2 billion first phase is due to open a little later this year. Basically, the Metro is an overhead light rail system with a subsurface section passing under the ‘creek’, a natural waterway that divides the city in two. If you have the money, it is even possible to purchase brand naming rights for some of the stations! But will it work? Will the Metro ease all the traffic congestion problems? In my opinion, I’m afraid, the answer is no. At least not as a stand alone solution. I just can’t see people giving up driving their Mercs, SUVs and Toyotas for this. Also, with summer time temperatures well over 40C in the day, it is not going to be much fun walking for 10-15 minutes to the nearest station. In my opinion, for the Metro to work it needs to be coupled with, at the very least, city congestion charges and, probably, increased fuel prices (petrol / gasoline is currently sold at below production cost). I hope the system does work in the long run though and I am sure the authorities have already thought of the various problems that could arise with encouraging people to use it. Will I use the Metro? Definitely, maybe!