Living in Al Barsha and around the Greens I am subject to a daily dose of "SALIK Dodgers". These people do everything they can to avoid paying SALIK. They even seem to add 30 minutes to their commute by causing massive bottle necks in neighborhoods.
I just don't understand. I balance the SALIK use. Three days a week I use it to go to work, and I save 15-20 minutes off my commute time. Two days a week I wake-up earlier and drive the side roads. I never use it to go home as I am not in a big rush usually.
So I spend ...are you ready.....12-16 AED a week. Or about 4 US Dollars.
These drivers that dodge SALIK are not driving small cheap cars. So why can't they use the SALIK? Why can't they afford it?
I was thinking. Most high performance cars run best at speed; not in a traffic congested mess. In fact, you are often presented with two different equations when calculating the value of a used car. A high mileage car that has earned its Ks on long high-speed roads is not devalued as much a car that is used in a congested daily commute.
It makes you wonder if the 20 AED a week most people are saving by not using SALIK one-way is worth the value they are losing on their cars. Plus let us not forget that they are losing time everyday too. It is almost like they have no value on their time or for their time.
When I use SALIK I get from the parking at home (then I sit and wait 5 mins or so to cut through the river of traffic) to the parking at my work in about 8 mins. Totally worth not sitting in a river of traffic stocked full of people too cheap to spend 5 US Dollars a week --while driving 50,000 Dollar Cars.
30 September, 2007
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8 comments:
Have you thought of the possibility that the dodgers too may be following you formula?
Secondly if everyone start to use salik will it not defeat its purpose thats to reduce traffic on the SZR?
Keep you chin up!
Salaam
Not a comment about this post but a question:
"Has Facebook been blocked throughout the UAE or are there temporary difficulties?"
I have not been able to get access for the last few hours and I had read of some plans to block it in the UAE.
Geoff P
http://experiencingtheemirates.blogspot.com/
I live in Bur Dubai, behind Burjuman. I cross Salik twice (on way to work and back), every day. Yes, I often drive up to my office in DMC 7 days a week. Sometimes, I pass the Salik toll more than once in a single day.
I don't enjoy paying, but I pay. Not because my car is worth 50k usd (more like 50k dhs by now). I simply value my time.
So, I spend a minimum of 8dhs a day on Salik, another 5dhs on parking meters. Occasionally, I forget to pay for my parking and end up with a 100dhs fine (maybe once a month?). So, let's add another 2dhs to the mix. Car registration.. let's say 2dhs/day (approximation). So, AED 15/- a day to own a car.
Gotta love it.
Now, car value is completely irrelevant. You cannot prove to anyone whether your car's mileage has been spent in city congested areas or along stretches of open highways. It's a moot point.
Hell with all that, FACEBOOK has been BLOCKED by Eatsalad!!!!
No they are not following my pattern. On days I don't use Salik, I see the same people within a 5 minute period. In fact, if I see certain cars pass in front of me it is a clear indication I am late.
Finally, SZR happens to have 3 times the amount of lane space and 2 times the overall average speed of the 2 lane roads around where I live. Not to mention that children and moms are trying to get to buses through all the mess.
Maybe you need to consider that having trucks driving through a neighborhood at 6 am is not something that is done in the developed world.
DO that math. These people are cheap.
D. Blogger.
This is what i thought about the whole thing
http://www.thedubailife.com/index.php/main/blog/why_do_people_dodge_the_salik
Also reading some of the comments I'd day Salik wasnt meant to make people stop using those roads but to use them more responsibly ie not make unneccessary journeys at peak hours etc...
@ D. Blogger.
"Finally, SZR happens to have 3 times the amount of lane space and 2 times the overall average speed of the 2 lane roads around where I live. Not to mention that children and moms are trying to get to buses through all the mess".
Your mean to say that salik is unecessary? Perhaps your are right.
But still there are many who like the salik.
Be happy!
i think the main purpose of salik was to reduce the unnecessary trips on szr rather than make people avoid the main road and use the neighbourhoods... looks like a mess. ive been following this salik idea when it started (from here in bahrain). how do you guys feel about it nowadays?
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