Transport and Driving in Dubai

Dubai is actually now two very different areas: the original city built around the Creek, an inlet from the Arabian Gulf; and New Dubai, where the new developments are located.
 
The original city is reasonably compact, pedestrian-friendly - at least from about October through April when the weather is good - and has fairly reliable and efficient public transport options. Those using private vehicles will quickly discover that traffic is bad and parking is usually difficult to find; options that are available are often expensive - either parking metres or limited multi-storey and ground car parks.
 
Alternatively, New Dubai was largely designed for automobiles. Individual developments, such as Dubai Marina, are pedestrian-friendly, but as New Dubai as a whole covers a very large area, getting from one development to another requires transport.
 
As a general rule though, most expats own their own car - usually more than one per family in fact.
 

Driving in Dubai

 
Once you've secured your residence visa in Dubai you can legally buy a car. Most of the well-known brands from the US, UK/Europe, Japan, Korea, etc. are readily available and the dealers have extensive workshops for service and repair.
 
Buying is not difficult and new car dealers will deal with the registration for you. For used cars the buyer and seller must go to the traffic police to register the transfer. There are used car dealers, private sales and small private repair/service workshops all over the emirate.
 
Cars must be inspected and registered annually, insurance is according to the usual international system and fuel is cheap.
 
Vehicles are left-hand drive, the road signage is in English and Arabic but can be confusing and incomplete. The roads are new, good, flat, often several lanes in both directions and there are huge intersections on major roads with flyovers and tunnels.
 
Road deaths have been amongst the worst in the world but the police are working hard to improve driving standards, especially speeding. There is an increasing number of fixed and mobile radars, unmarked police cars, red light cameras and a licence black mark system, and vehicles are confiscated in serious cases.
 
Dubai is one of the safest cities in the world and car crime is very rare although normal precautions are sensible, such as locking the car and not leaving valuables in open view.