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05 September, 2005

Roll with it

Given the misery of soaring fuel prices - as rents soar, salaries stagnate, and the UAE dirham remains pegged to the pathetically limp greenback - it was not as surprising as it might have been to spot a man apparently rollerblading back home from his office, in a short-sleeved shirt and tie.

A closer view revealed that he was actually wearing a t-shirt with a broad vertical stripe resembling a tie, but no matter. The brilliant idea is there. Green, cheap, and taking up far less space than a sheikhmobile - surely a set of personal wheels is the ideal way to zip along the Sharjah-Jebel Ali commute?

The only question is whether the average Nissan Sunnyman will be as slow at bladeing as he is at driving, in which case everyone may as well just walk.

Labels: ,

14 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Could well be that a group of your average sunny men could b mistaken for a bunch of unhappy unpaid workmen, on thier way to demonstrate at the clock round about, in which case the newly acquired anti personel swiss vehicles making their way to Iraq could well end up being used here for a change. The question: Until when and to what point is Dubai going to sustain this lopsided growth where the weaker get weaker and the wealthier mightier.

05 September, 2005 07:56  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

noticed how some ppl are rather stuck or slow on those belts in dubai airport... that you are forced to get off them and rather walk on the side.

and anyways, all these ppl wud rather required a/c walkways to walk arnd in the city.

05 September, 2005 09:39  
Blogger black feline said...

Gee...roller blading huh? excellent! and cool! welcome to urban living....got to dust off my pairs real quick...

05 September, 2005 10:00  
Blogger clayfuture said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

05 September, 2005 11:49  
Blogger clayfuture said...

Yeah right! Roller blading... in this weather? Might be ok for the Westerners - they lie in the sun for hours to get a tan, but for the majority of citizens, even the nationals, the car is the ultimate form of transport. No matter which way the economy goes, or how worse the traffic situation becomes, the passion for automobiles in the Middle East will never cease!

05 September, 2005 11:51  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Brilliant idea with the roller blades, though bicycles aren't too bad either. Regrettably, these ideas are not likely to ever be more than a dream. What could work, though, is a serious investment in public transportation. Compared to the other emirates, Dubai is definetely ahead, but really... how difficult could it be to establish a regular bus connection between Sharjah and Dubai. One could even reserve one lane on the highways for public transport to ensure that it would be quicker and more reliable than private vehicles (this would cost a lot less than the continual expansions of the roads). Not only would it be infinitely better for the environment, it also could save a lot of money for the people who currently struggle to have a car. And for once, the people who have less could stay in bed an hour longer than the people who have more!

I guess the real obstacles to a solution like this would be that it require the authorities in different emirates to communicate with each other.

05 September, 2005 13:56  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Cud u be advocating for faster speeds on the already mad roads of the emirates ? btw the scariest speedsters are the dumb asses in the sunny's and echoes that zip past like bats outta hell.

05 September, 2005 22:32  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Whether you stuck behind Nissan Sunny Man or have the misfortune of being inches in front of a Nissan Patrol travelling at 150 KMPH I'd like to recommend www.roadragers.com. An excellent site for documenting and venting road rage incidents.

05 September, 2005 22:46  
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Roller blading my @$$! Didn't anyone see the sidewalks in this place?

Here are some of the main causes (in random order) why rollerbladers will never make it on time:

(1) Slowed down by dodging/docking too many neons sign-boxes
(2) Constantly slipping due to too much spit and saliva on the sidewalks (disgusting but true .. try doing it in Karama!)
(3) Colliding with parked courier motorcycles (especially Aramex/memoexpress!)
(4) Severe skin burns caused by spilled tea with milk from the "Eat&Drink" delivery dude on his zigzagging bicycle
(5) Running into a caged tree to avoid an illegally parked SUV on the sidewalk

And for those traveling to/from sharja .. if you plan to cross the Dubai-Sharja highway on Rollerblades, PLEASE do let me know as I would like to get my handy-cam ready. I hear REALTV pay good money for freak accidents that are caught-on-tape!

10 September, 2005 10:32  
Blogger secretdubai said...

morydamas - I don't know who you are, but you *really* need to get blogging! That was first class.

10 September, 2005 15:15  
Blogger moryarti said...

Thanks bro .. i already did ;)
http://dubaiconsumermirror.blogspot.com/

10 September, 2005 20:27  
Blogger black feline said...

cockey,

i really empathize with u..it's time for u to move on..try any asian country..where colonial residue is still very much order of the day..u will be treated like a maharaja/maharani..btw u really have million of examples? u should write a book..lol

11 September, 2005 11:17  
Blogger black feline said...

cocky,

I bet u have not covered the prison..for the sake of your fans..do it and get to jail and report back on any harsh treatment..u make millions by then..lol

12 September, 2005 15:10  
Blogger Emirati said...

A little queue cutting, a little rudeness and youre already talking about writing books and going to jail.

Oh noooo *boo hoo hoo* the local man cut in front of me, this is calamity time for me to start a rebellion.

Rude people are everywhere, I (as many locals) wait in line just like everyone else.

12 September, 2005 22:26  

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