05 May, 2007

The Metro Once Again.

Have anyone been to Bur Dubai recently?
The area around the Ramada signal has become a labyrinth. I am sure that those responsible for the construction of the underground Metro station there are doing their best to deal with the huge magnitude of pedestrian movement, at the same time sticking to their schedules.

Residents of that area are suffering. The RTA has urged people earlier to 'bear with them'. People are bearing (do they have a choice anyway?). Come what might, works on the Metro has to go on. This short term suffering will (inshallah) pay off once the Metro is ready to rock n' roll.

I have few suggestions to ease off the 'inconveniences'. Some of them might have been considered by the experts before….but let me put them on to you anyway:

- 10 feet wide unfettered pedestrian walkways in all directions should be
maintained, instead of the currently crammed 3 feet walkways.
- Provide
alternative parking lots to compensate for the ones that have been taken by the
porta cabins and the 4 silos of the patching plant (don't ask me where the
alternatives lots could be, I have no idea)…
- If the York and the Regal
Palace hotels are witnessing a drop in the occupancy rates because of these
works, the extra rooms could be used for lodging the Metro construction staff
(and maybe the labor?)


Finally, a request to create a section on this board, call it 'The Metro Watch' for instance, where people can share their stories and their inputs about the subject. The link could also be put forward to the RTA website, which apart from the FAQ section, doesn't have a public forum. This section can function as one…..

Thanks.

(P.S.: there used to be a live camera feed of the Ramada interesection on the DM website. It's no longer there)

11 comments:

Anonymous said...

I recommend Dubai Jazz as the President of the Dubai Metro Watch and all other positions unanimously by the UAE Blog Community. We wish him/her all the best to write on another blog exclusively for the Dubai Metro Appreciation Club.

I am sure Dubai Jazz should apply in the hotels mentioned for management positions as he/she sure does have great ideas to increase room occupancy. Why didn't other hotels think of converting themselves into staff quarters to fill up rooms?

Good Luck to you! See you on the Metro soon!

Dubai Jazz said...

lol...am I ever glad to hear a taunting comment?
As for the third suggestion (housing the staff in the hotels) please re-read it with an eye out for sarcasm...

Dubai Jazz said...

to elaborate more on the subject; I read once in the GN (can't retrieve the story now) that the RTA is going to launch a public awareness campaign about the Metro while it is under construction.
I don't know if they have got anywhere with that....

Anonymous said...

A lame escape Dubai Jazz! I can't see your cunning 'sarcasm' either about the housing solution!

I stay in Bur Dubai and the Metro is less obtrusive than other works carried out in Dubai! I am guessing your need for 15 feet footpaths are also 'sarcasm'.

Why not fill up the creek and turn it into a giant parking lot? Then no more hassles of bridges, tunnels and guess what? Suddenly there is lots of land to build expensive flats too! Many solutions in one shot (please read sarcasm)!

Dubai Jazz said...

Come on!, that suggestion was merely a joke (see the reference for the labor?)....although I don't think it's a bad idea (sarcasm again)....
Now I have a SERIOUS challenge for you Ali, tell me one single place or a project where construction was MORE OBTRUSIVE to people's movement and to traffic more than the construction underway on this spot?

The 10 feet walkway is not a joke my friend, it is a necessity. There are myriads of little children and toddlers moving in these corridors everyday. Now combine that with the element of machinery and shovels moving all around..don't you think that 3 feet corridor is not enough to allow each one of those denominators a safe trip?

Anonymous said...

aaaaaarrrrrrrggggghhhghghghg!

if YOU DON'T LIKE IT

GIVE IT TO YOUR FRIENDS.

HOT CROSS BUNS YAH HOT CROSS BUNS.

Anonymous said...

Like it or not, we have to live with Metro pain for a while !! Government of Dubai should be appreciated for reacting to a serious situation, quite promptly and expeditiously - for a better Dubai, tomorrow !!!

Dubai Jazz said...

Wacky,
You've got a god point there, i think it is the trait of all fast track projects to be slightly painful and rather inconvenient when they are under construction. Like a woman in the labor period, the pain is inevitable to give birth for the beautiful baby..

I think we, expats in Dubai, have accustomed our selves to high expectations, of course nothing could be perfect. We just aim and aspire..

Thanks for the constructive comment, it allows me to wrap up this post on a high note..

Anonymous said...

I love ur response, u didnt only whine as most the posters do but u gave ideas and suggestions. This is the type of criticism I appreciate and respect.

Dubai Jazz said...

Hi Salem,
Thank you for the positive feedback, I wholeheartedly appreciate it!

Unknown said...

Metro a rapid transit, underground, subway, elevated or metro(politan) system is a railway — usually in an urban area—with a high capacity and frequency of service and grade separation from other traffic. In most of the world, these systems are known as a "Metro." In London, the system is called the "Underground," in Buenos Aires "Subte", sportsbook, (a short colloquial word for subterraneo, Spanish for underground) and in most of North America and in Glasgow, Scotland, "subway." The oldest rapid transit system in the world is the London Underground, which opened in 1863. The Underground is also the most extensive rapid transit system in the world. http://www.enterbet.com

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