Have I talked about this yet? How nobody has a street address in Dubai?
If I didn't, I meant to.
There aren't street numbers in Dubai. I don't even think that there are technical street names.
Take, for example, this one street that everyone refers to as "Beach Road". I just saw a map in a book and it's labled "Al Jumeira Road". (The beach is named Jumeira Beach.) We call it the wrong name. But probably other people call it something completely different.
Granted, the big freeway here is Sheikh Zayed Road, everyone knows that. In fact, there's a huge light-up photo of Sheikh Zayed on the side of the road. But it's a eight lane highway, nobody lives on it.
There are, however, named neighborhoods here. We live in "Al Sufouh", other friends live in "Al Barshaa" and "Bur Dubai". I don't know what good these do, however. I guess telling your friends where you live? I mean, it's not like it's to help the UPS guy ...
Because there isn't any residental mail service at all in Dubai. How could there be, there are no names or numbers to put on an envelope! All mail goes to your workplace, as they have PO Boxes. And say, theoretically, you're an unemployed slacker? The mail would go to your wife's workplace.
Theoretically.
And I think it goes without saying Zip Codes don't exist, either.
But then the other I saw this article in the Gulf News. Looks like this little town of one and a quarter million people is finally growing up ...
(sniff, sniff)
Gulf News Residents must learn addresses The RTA, in collaboration with Dubai Municipality, has launched a campaign to ensure that everyone in the city knows his or her house and office address. By Ashfaq Ahmed September 5, 2006
Dubai: Do you know your home or office address?
If not, it is advisable you learn it because you will need it while dealing with public and private sector organisations in future.
"We want residents to know their addresses, as we want them to shift from the landmark based address system to the proper address system," said Bader Al Siri, Director of the Traffic Department at the Roads and Transport Authority (RTA).
The RTA, in collaboration with Dubai Municipality, has launched a campaign to ensure that everyone in the city knows his or her house and office address.
This includes building number, road or street name and and most importantly community number. People should start using it because the system is already in place.
"We have started interacting with the public sector asking them to implement the address system while dealing with their customers," Al Siri said.
Members of a committee comprising officials from the RTA and the Municipality held a meeting with officials from Dubai Police, Civil Defence, Department of Tourism and Commerce Marketing, Dubai Electricity and Water Authority, and the Emirates Post.
"We have informed them to start taking the full addresses of people they are dealing with and introduce this system in their departments as well instead of just using the post box number," he said.
The committee will hold its next meeting with banks and property developers and then meet courier companies to make them aware of the importance of using the proper addresses instead of just using post box numbers.
Banks customers will also be asked to give their full home addresses and courier companies will also be asked to ensure the full address is on the parcels.
Al Siri said they are working on plans to ensure mail delivery at the doorsteps instead of people going to the post offices to collect their mail.
The project for the comprehensive address system including building numbers, road and street names and numbers and the community numbers stated in early 1980s.
"So far we have covered some 69 per cent of the city area. We will cover 20 per cent more in 2006 and 2007 and some more areas in 2008. It is an ongoing process as the city is expanding and the new areas will be covered as they are developed," he said.
There are currently 129 communities in Dubai and nine sectors. The comprehensive address system is in place in 79 communities.
"We are having meetings with developers of the free hold properties and want them to have an address system in place following guidelines from the RTA," Al Siri said.
In order to make the system even simpler, the RTA will install new signs on buildings, showing the building number, street number and the community number.
Currently, the signs on buildings contains only the building number.
Resident awareness being raised
Campaigns are being launched to make residents and tourists aware of the address system in the city.
There will be educational campaigns in schools and public and private sector organisations. New brochures will be prepared to make people understand how to find their houses or offices, and how they should tell visitors about their addresses.
