Traffic congestion was reported early Monday morning across numerous roads in the UAE, with many major routes turning yellow due to the presence of school and college buses on the first day of the new academic year. Similarly, roads surrounding and leading to schools were also heavily congested as numerous parents were instructed by educational institutions to drop off their children on the initial day of the academic year.
Anticipating a significantly heavier traffic flow today, many drivers began their journeys half an hour earlier – particularly those who needed to drop their children at schools on the first day before heading to their workplaces. Traffic began to accumulate as early as 6:30 am on key roads connecting Dubai and Sharjah as activities resumed at full pace following the two-month summer break.
Utilizing navigation applications such as Google Maps, Waze, and Yango Maps, many drivers relied on these apps to find less congested routes to reach their destinations on time. Around a million students returned to schools on Monday, joining new classes across the emirates, with a significant number of them being transported by school and college buses.
Most of the major roads and smaller connecting arteries to major highways experienced long lines of cars and buses from the early hours. Al Ittihad Road or E11, one of the busiest roads in the UAE linking Dubai and Sharjah, saw morning traffic build up much earlier than during the usual summer holidays. During summer holidays, traffic typically starts to build up around 7 am on Al Ittihad Road, but on regular days like today with schools open, traffic jams begin about 45 minutes earlier.
“I knew it was the first academic day of the new year and hundreds of thousands of students would return to their educational institutes. Therefore, I was aware that the traffic would be much heavier than usual. Hence, I started the day much earlier to reach on time,” said Abu Eman, a Sharjah resident who drove to Dubai to drop her daughter at her college on the first day.
Similarly, Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed Road, or E311, another heavily trafficked corridor connecting Dubai and Sharjah, also saw heavier traffic from Al Zahia City Centre towards Dubai. Additionally, roads in Abu Dhabi, particularly around Zayed City, Al Muntazah, and several other areas, exhibited some traffic early Monday morning.
