Dubai's traffic congestion continues to remain one of the most prime concerns for its planners and administrators. A very significant number of freak collisions taking place, daily occurrences of traffic jams and an ill-educated mass of drivers making one's life difficult on Dubai's roads, is how you could describe Dubai's traffic in few words. The administration on its own part has done all it could to check this existing malice out by building flyovers and underpasses, however the ever-growing population forces the problem to continue on. Several measures are being introduced now to get the things on roads sorted out, among these being the proposed introduction of additional water buses in the Dubai Creek area from July later this year (2007).



The Creek is an inlet of the Arabian Gulf that runs across the center where Dubai has been populated upon. People would benefit from any water bus service across this watery passage, since the usual road journeys demand extra time and efforts both. The road traffic will also have a sigh of relief, since part of the daily commuting, however small in entity it may be, will get dispensed elsewhere. However, there are two significant aspects to be taken care of by the authorities and people both. One among these being the kind of boats that will get introduced, as the hot and humid weather of Gulf area can be truly scorching in summers. Secondly, the objective of maintaining Dubai's cultural heritage has also to be kept in mind while introducing any new kind of boats.

Boats previously running across Dubai Creek lacked in terms of advancement, but they did have an ethnic Arabian outlook to be proud of. The latest announcement raises some concerns therefore, as the fresh boats to be inducted are going to have an advanced capacity, and therefore some compromises will have to be made out in its existing design. The traditional form of boat design, called Abra, has been followed in this region for years now. The new boat designs to be introduced will draw their outlook both from Abra and modern techniques in equal terms. This deviation from Dubai's heritage will have to be made acceptable to the all concerned, so as to see the planned bus service smoothly running.

Currently, there are several bridges and a solitary tunnel apart from Abra boats, which could be used to cross Dubai Creek on any usual occasion. However, boats provide a very conducive atmosphere for making out the journeys as compared to the other methods. Structurally, Abras are open-air wooden ferries that could carry up to 20 passengers sitting across the length of boats on back-to-back benches. This leads to discomfort in the summers however, as temperatures can reach up to 50C and humidity in the range of 90-percent. The improvised fleet of water buses will now have a sitting capacity of 35 passengers, and they will be made fully air-conditioned.

The latest boats will be pressed into a loop water-bus service in the very first phase, with two stops on either side of the Creek receiving and sending buses on every 10 minutes from 6am in the morning to 12 at night. Gradually, these buses will be extended up to New Dubai along the coastline, which includes Palm Islands and The World. This new introduction of water-bus service is part of the extended public transport system for Dubai's commuters, which aims at reducing the city's road congestion. The planned Metro Railways will also be playing a crucial role in achieving these objectives apart from the existing Abras and the just mentioned water-bus service.