On Monday, numerous UAE residents encountered traffic jams lasting up to 45 minutes as schools and colleges resumed operations following the summer break. Motorists, anticipating congested roads, had typically departed from home at least 30 minutes earlier than usual to guarantee timely arrival at their workplaces or other destinations. Parents, in particular, faced significant delays as they complied with school directives to personally drop off their children on the first day.
In response to the heavy traffic, many drivers chose to utilize Salik routes to expedite their journey. Karen Lobo, a long-term resident of the UAE, recounted her experience: "On Monday, it took me an extra 45 minutes to get to the office due to the severe congestion in Oud Maitha, where numerous parents had parked their cars along the roadside to drop off their children at school. I observed parents dropping off their kids and then walking back to their parked vehicles." Lobo also mentioned that some of her colleagues were delayed due to the traffic.
Sharrah Khilawala, a mother of two, left 40 minutes early to drop her daughter off at school in Dubai from Sharjah. She explained, "I added an extra 40 minutes to my journey time for the first day of school, considering that everyone is returning from their holidays, which naturally increases traffic." Khilawala noted that while many working parents opted for the Salik route to save time, non-working parents chose alternative, non-Salik routes. She herself chose the Salik route to save time.
Abu Ahmed, a resident of Sharjah, also experienced heavier traffic while dropping his son off at a school in Ajman. He described encountering traffic at the Al Khan signal and again on Al Wahda Street en route to Ajman, followed by further congestion near the school. He mentioned that the roads leading to schools were particularly busy on the morning of the first day.
