The first day of Ramadan brought heavy congestion across key routes linking Sharjah and Dubai, as reduced working hours and shifting routines created a compressed morning rush. For the next 30 days, traffic patterns across the UAE will follow a very different rhythm, and timing will be crucial for commuters. Many residents delay errands until after sunset, creating intense congestion around Iftar.

Here’s what every UAE motorist needs to know.

What changes on the roads

Ramadan reshapes daily life, and traffic patterns follow.

• Morning commutes start later.
• Afternoon travel drops.
• Then just before sunset, the entire country moves at once.

The most intense congestion happens 30–45 minutes before Iftar.

Expect traffic spikes between:

• 5:45pm – 7:00pm (nationwide peak)
• 9:00pm – 11:30pm (post-Taraweeh and mall traffic)
• 2:30am – 4:30am (Suhoor food runs in busy areas)

Morning rush

Peak window:

• Dubai & Sharjah: 8:30am – 10:30am
• Abu Dhabi: 9:00am – 10:30am

Major Morning Bottlenecks

Dubai

• Sheikh Zayed Road (E11) — Jebel Ali to DWTC
• Interchanges near Mall of the Emirates, Business Bay, Safa Park

Sharjah → Dubai

• E311 (Emirates Road)
• E11 (Al Wahda Road)
• Al Nahda & Mirdif border crossings

Abu Dhabi

• Sheikh Zayed Bin Sultan Street (E10/Airport Road)
• Al Khaleej Al Arabi Street

Leave before 8am if you can. That’s your cleanest window.

The worst 45 minutes of the day

Avoid driving between 5:00pm – 7:15pm if possible. This is consistently the most congested and accident-prone period of Ramadan. Iftar falls roughly between 6:10pm and 6:40pm, shifting slightly later each day.

During this window:

• Highways crawl.
• Delivery drivers flood the roads.
• Fatigue + urgency increase accident risks.
• Travel times can double or triple.

Dubai’s most congested Iftar roads

• Sheikh Zayed Road (E11)
• Al Khail Road (E44), especially Dubai Hills & Business Bay interchanges
• Umm Suqeim Road (D63)
• Al Wasl Road (D92)

Alternatives

• Use E311 (Sheikh Mohammed Bin Zayed Road) when possible
• Consider E611 (Al Reem Highway) to bypass Deira congestion
• Exit earlier and use Al Asayel Street or Al Meydan Road toward central Dubai

Sharjah–Dubai Gridlock

• Al Ittihad Road (E11) turns red early, sometimes before 5pm
• Clock Tower Roundabout-Sharjah border is a major choke point

Alternative

• E311 (Emirates Road)
• E611 (Al Reem Highway)

8:30pm – midnight surge

Expect congestion near:

• Dubai Mall (Financial Centre Road)
• Mall of the Emirates (Al Sufouh Road)
• City Centre Mirdif
• Ibn Battuta Mall

Large mosques generate localised congestion, especially in Jumeirah, Al Safa and central Abu Dhabi.

The 3am surprise

Between 2:30am – 4:30am, expect unexpected traffic near:

• Satwa
• Karama
• Al Barsha
• Jumeirah Beach Road

Abu Dhabi Iftar bottlenecks

• Sheikh Zayed Bridge
• Maqta Bridge
• Sheikh Khalifa Bin Zayed Street (city centre)

Alternatives

• Mohammed Bin Zayed Road (E20)
• Musaffah Bridge
• Corniche Road for island travel

Ramadan is a month of patience, and that absolutely applies behind the wheel. Authorities consistently remind motorists to allow extra travel time, avoid tailgating, and drive with added caution during the pre-Iftar window, when fatigue and urgency can increase the risk of accidents. If you can adjust your timing even slightly, you’ll save yourself hours over the course of the month.