How to Avoid Traffic While Driving on Dubai Roads

Dubai is a dynamic city growing consistently in multiple sectors including infrastructure, technology, business, and tourism. As one of the most progressive cities of the world, Dubai stands to witness an enormous inflow of investors, tourists, and job seekers every year.

As busy as the Dubai airports remain throughout the seasons, the situation on the roads is no different. There’s a wide network of interlinked roads in the city. It is sometimes impossible to avoid traffic while driving on Dubai roads at peak hours, especially on main connecting roads. For instance, Sheikh Zayed Road heading towards Sharjah and vice versa witnesses massive traffic in the morning and evening. Similarly, Al Khalil Road is busy with heavy traffic flow, both times.

Therefore, before you set off on the roadways, properly plan your trip. Here are a few impactful tips to help you beat the traffic safely and easily.

How to Avoid Road Traffic in Dubai

A few simple tips may help you manage your schedule and route to avoid road traffic in Dubai. Read on further:

Keep an Eye on Peak Hours

A smart way to go about it is to avoid the peak hours when the roads are packed with drivers going in all directions to reach their destinations. The peak hours coincide with office and school timings. For example, Sheikh Zayed Road and Hessa Street witnesses huge traffic between 8 AM and 9 AM and between 5 PM to 7 PM. Therefore, you should steer clear of these timings to avoid busy roads in Dubai.

Check for Road-Works Before Leaving

avoid busy roads in Dubai — Use Google Maps to spot heavy traffic routes

The last thing you’d want is to get stuck on a road that’s in the middle of construction. To avoid traffic while driving on Dubai roads, make sure you check Google Maps for ongoing construction/road works and plan your journey before heading out. GPS applications like Google Maps are one of the best apps to help drivers in Dubai. It can help you identify the high traffic spots and would suggest alternate routes. You may also check the official RTA website to get real-time updates on the traffic if you’re due somewhere on time and already running late.

Track the Congested Areas

Given the number of amenities and tourist destinations in the iconic city, some areas are usually always congested with crowds. Other reasons may include increased population, narrow roads, dine-in restaurants, and popular tourism attractions, to name a few.

Use Dubai Police App

heavy traffic on Dubai road — Install Dubai Police app and register to stay updated with latest traffic situation on your route

Use the Dubai Police app to keep yourself well-informed about the traffic conditions, accidents and temporary road closures. Simply download the Dubai Police app (iOS | Android) and register to receive real-time alerts. You can easily plan your journey on an alternate route and save time. When roads are temporarily closed due to any official event and on holidays, the Dubai Police app will notify you to help avoid detours and delays.

Use a GPS for the Fastest Route

You can’t undermine the effectiveness of the latest technologies we have access to. A sensible way to avoid traffic while driving on Dubai roads is to use GPS smart apps. These apps notify which areas are busy and also suggest alternate routes.

Go for the Weekend Mornings

To avoid traffic while driving on Dubai roads, particularly when you’ve planned a long drive on the weekend. Since the roads near malls and parks are usually crowded on weekends, it’s best to utilize early hours for commuting. Most of the people on Friday morning are sound asleep and they head to leisure spots in the afternoon or later. Therefore, given this timetable, you can schedule long morning drives or important errands on Friday mornings. While most of the people like you searching for tips to avoid traffic jams in Dubai would conclude on the same, it’s still relevant as the working hours and off-days cannot be swapped.

General Tips When Driving in Traffic

Besides the obvious reasons, keeping a safe, minimum distance between vehicles is a hack for avoiding traffic jams. You can easily avoid vehicle pileup, manoeuvre to another lane or street when you gauge traffic building up, only when you have at least a three-second following distance.
Don’t drive in a hurry, else you might make mistakes that may yield hefty fines and inconvenience. You need to be patient, especially when you are stuck in a traffic jam.
Don’t overtake other vehicles on the road, instead navigate through the traffic calmly. This practice will not only save you from traffic penalties but also help you reach your destination on time.

Drive safe and follow the driving rules to avoid hefty traffic fines in Dubai. Moreover, make sure that your car’s health and performance is up to the standard defined by RTA Dubai. If your car is not according to the set standard, and you are still driving it on the roads of Dubai, you may face hefty fines due to a violation of traffic laws. Therefore, it’s better to get it repaired at the earliest. Besides, if the repair cost is too high or takes a lot of time, buying another car is a viable option. You can opt for a second-hand car in Dubai that may fit your budget. Some of the options available are:

As much as anybody can complain of heavy road traffic in Dubai, they all love this city at the end and everything that comes with it. We hope with these helpful tips, you can successfully avoid traffic while driving on Dubai roads and reach your destination on time.

Stay tuned to UAE’s top auto blog for more tips and tricks to handle traffic conditions in Dubai, Abu Dhabi and other Emirates.