Mana-mana

Hi folks, my fiancee and I are thinking of moving back to the Gulf. She has an open job offer in Dubai and I'm looking at an opportunity in Abu Dhabi. My question is, is it feasible to commute daily from Dubai to Abu Dhabi? Would I go mental?

csdf

I would go bananas, but plenty of people do it (to benefit from the cheaper rents). Are you prepared to waste 20% of your waking life by sitting in a car?

Mana-mana

Not really. I can do that in the UK and the driving is (slightly) better.

So talk of a "45 minute drive" is as big a pile of cr*p as it sounds?

csdf

Oh, you could easily do it in 45 minutes if you had a nitrox booster in your car and an invisibility shield so you couldn't get speeding tickets.

It's 119 km (http://www.google.com/search?q=dista...bi+dubai&hl=en) so you'd have to travel at 160 km/hr (100 miles/hour) to do it in 45 minutes.

Mana-mana

Oh well that's easy I'll just drive like a Saudi.

Bahtatboy

Depends where in Dubai and where in AD. My office is located just off-island (near Maqta Bridge), and we have several employees who commute daily from Duba, but they all live in the AD-side of Dubai. They claim to do it in 45 mins (and get 40 mpg, never get caught speeding, and are totally relaxed; yeah, right).

I spent some time in a hotel in Jebel Ali, and commuted to the office. Was probably about an hour, I didn't get 40 mpg, did get caught speeding, and wasn't relaxed. One of the main factors will be where you join the highway--will it take you 5 minutes to get on it, for 45? You need to try it out at the times you'd be commuting.

And if your job would be downtown AD, then forget it--I live downtown and so travel against the traffic, and definitely would not like to be going in the opposite direction.

Rents are way, way cheaper in Dubai, but they're definitely falling in AD.

Good luck

ctfc

I often do Dubai Marina to Downtown, takes around 1 hour 10 mins across Yas/Sadiyat. When the Salam Street works are finished (they're covering over the road surface already so looking promising) traffic around Tourist Club should improve a lot.

Bahtatboy

Ah yes, forgot about Yas Island. Have used that route once or twice, and so long as there's no bottleneck as you hit AD then its good. Pleasant road, too.

Millhouse

I occasionally travel from the Corniche to DIFC and it takes around 1:25 on a good run. I have no idea how people do it from Marina to AD in 45 mins though - it's an hour.

Whenever I do the commute I always come back knackered. I tend to try and leave Dubai early so not to get caught up in the sillyness of that road.

If I had to do it everyday I would carpool or get a driver.

lullabelle

half my office do it but they tend to carpool. There's actually three car pools going now. They go from jumeirah to mussafah and it takes an hour.

HOWEVER, one girl drove every day last week and said she was wasted by the end of the week.

I can see why they do though. My colleagues are all in lovely shoreline apartments on the palm with great facilities, monthly payments, splendid views etc etc etc. And all for bargain prices compared to here.

busybee2

its dangerous (more so in the fog),boring and annoying (you have to get used to the idiots driving slowly in the 3rd lane or even the fourth) when there is no need...! and also learn to play "dodge the weaving car" and also some companies will only allow you to live in the same emirate as your visa is issued from.

busybee2

its 45 mins from kca to ja (so they must be flying or drinking red bull) to do marina to ad in 45 mins

Tillybean

Our office site is located right next to Abu Dhabi airport. We have a lot of staff that commute from Dubai. On a good day, from the bottom end of the Marina to our office is 45-50 minutes, on an average day its 1 hour and on an awful day its 2+ hours.

Saying that, those staff that live in down town Abu Dhabi spend a good 45 minutes coming out to the office too.

AppleMac

As several posters have said, it all depends where in AD you will be working.

If you are off island in the Al Raha, Yas, Airport area then 45 mins from the Marina is quite achievable and is a comfortable drive (it can take longer to get Dubai airport from the Marina)

I can get from the Marina to AD airport in 45 minutes - when I lived downtown AD it took 30 minutes and was more pain.

busybee2

now they have changed the phasing (yet again) on 30th its quicker. its also quicker now going down 8th st, they have taken away another set of lights, and from 19th to the bridges is a breeze, as usually there is no sitting at traffic lights (if you are lucky) i suspect they have changed the phasing again on there too! years ago the lights on 30th were phased so that you could start at one end and drive all the way to the end, but in their wisdom it got changed a few years ago!!