Dubai faces a new problem after becoming a victim of its own popularity

Sign up to Simon Calder’s free travel email for expert advice and money-saving discounts Get Simon Calder’s Travel email Get Simon Calder’s Travel email SIGN UP I would like to be emailed about offers, events and updates from The Independent. As a result, traffic feels worse than ever on Dubai's roads and the price of housing continues to spike even with new real estate projects being announced almost daily. “I think it’s easier to get people quickly to come to Dubai and to convince them about Dubai, then to build a new intersection or a new highway.” Congestion has got so bad that it's driving even prominent Emiratis to break their customary silence on public affairs. Habib Al Mulla, a prominent Emirati lawyer, wrote on the social platform X in December that while authorities were working on congestion, the problem demanded “a set of immediate and long-term mechanisms.” He followed up by publishing an opinion piece twice mentioning “congestion” as being among “pressing issues" for global cities like Dubai. open image in gallery A picture taken with a slow shutter speed shows traffic leaves streaks of light as it passes through the Sheikh Zayed Road with Dubai's iconic skyline illuminated in the background, United Arab Emirates, on Dec. 31, 2024 In December, sermon scripts issued for the December 13 Friday's prayers directly touched on the duty of having more children.