Stop at bus stops
I receive my daughter at her bus stop every day, but it worries me to see so many motorists overtaking her school bus, knowing fully well that children would be getting off. I can still understand their need to hurry during the morning rush hour. However, during the afternoons, motorists simply honk and move at a fairly high speed in narrow lanes, and this is definitely a cause for worry. With so many accidents involving young pupils, a law banning the overtaking of school buses should be introduced. It may help save many lives.
From Ms Gurpreet Modi
Sharjah
Time to move
I fear for my life each time I have to commute between Sharjah and Dubai ("Welcome to Sharjah-Dubai traffic battleground," Gulf News, June 23). People fight to get through traffic, jump lanes, drive fast and seldom respect the rights of fellow motorists. After having driven in many nations across the world, never have I experienced such aggression elsewhere. I too have become more aggressive. There is only one solution to make the roads safer. Impose higher fines for any traffic violations, encourage carpooling and educate people about the traffic rules, fines and the need to be safer drivers. Redefine public transport! I intend to move abroad if the present traffic situation continues.
From Mr Marco
Sharjah
Full name withheld by request
Reduce rents
I strongly believe that if the authorities look into this matter we might have a 20 to 40 per cent reduction in traffic. The reason we see so many traffic snarls because a majority of people work in Dubai and reside in Sharjah. If the authorities reduce the rents in Dubai and make it on par with Sharjah, a lot of traffic congestion would reduce. People move to Sharjah and Ajman for lesser rents, but if they had the same rent option in Dubai then why would they?
From Mr Mohammad Yousuf
UAE
Devoted lanes
An immediate measure to ease traffic congestion on the Dubai-Sharjah route is to introduce an effective public transport system with at least one lane devoted to it. Surely people will start depending on this system by giving up their own cars, especially if you consider the vehicle-passenger ratio on this route. If a public transport vehicle can reach Dubai from Sharjah within half an hour, most would not use their own vehicles.
From Mr Rafeeq K
Dubai
Safer walkways
Unable to afford a car, I walk quite a bit every day. I feel the capital is not really pedestrian-friendly. I've had so many close calls at legal pedestrians crossings. Vehicles will see pedestrians including families and children crossing the road but will zoom forward at high speeds anyway. I seriously doubt strict laws alone could change such driver mentality.
From Mr Arjun Nair
Abu Dhabi
Insult to injury
Having completed my hotel management degree abroad, I returned to Dubai to seek employment at various hotels. I was interested in pursuing the offer of a five-star international chain, following an initial interview. But imagine my amazement when I received a six-month contract with a monthly accommodation allowance of just Dh700. As I was living with my family, I did not need my accommodation allowance, yet my salary remained fixed. To add insult to injury, I was not guaranteed a position after the termination of the contract. With an experience in international resort work as well as a qualified education, I was shocked to receive this offer, which would have amounted to less than minimum wage internationally.
From Ms S. Saldanha
Dubai
Best left alone
I never believed in this price control programme in the first place ("Frustrated by rising cost of living in the UAE," Gulf News, June 24). Whatever I buy costs more and more each day. If this programme is in effect then could the authorities list those items along with their selling prices, which have been controlled? At least then we could go to those shops and buy them.
From Mr A. M Khan
Abu Dhabi
Smart tactics
A few days ago, I was surprised to find my car's side mirror stolen. The thief had removed it without damaging the case. On enquiring at a workshop, I was told that taking out the mirror breaks the locking system of a car. I request the authorities to safeguard the people against such thieves!
From Mr Jaffrey H.
Sharjah
Great experience
I visited the Pakistan Consulate recently to renew my family's passport and found that it was a great experience. I have heard from different sources about the deteriorating standards of the Consulate, but I must confess that I was highly impressed with the entire procedure. It took merely 45 minutes to renew three passports, and I believe it is high time that the Pakistani community appreciates the Consulate's services. I encourage them to keep up the good work.
From Mr Mohammad Iqbal
Dubai
