Traffic

This is a picture of an actual traffic jam in Abu Dhabi from last September. While this example is an extreme case, it is pretty typical of the type of traffic one can expect here. The side of the island I live on is a lot better, but it can still get busy. Scenes like this are why I tend to take a taxi if I'm going over to this side.

Recently, police have started giving people 500 dirham fines (about $170) to people who are stopped in the intersection in a red light. If you try to get across the intersection, you'd better make sure that you can get all the way through.

Talking to taxi drivers, the amount of traffic seems to have tripled in the past two years. Hopefully, the construction of Salam Street due to finish soon, this will ease up. It is set to be the region's longest tunnel and should provide some much needed relief to the traffic congestion.