Noisy neighbourhoods disturb UAE residents

Speeding sports cars, bikes and jet skis, as well as late-night rubbish collections and honking horns are among the noise complaints forcing some people to even consider moving house.

The Hamdan Street area in Abu Dhabi was one of many parts of the city where residents have complained about excessive noise. Mona Al Marzooqi/ The National
Powered by automated translation

ABU DHABI // From the drone of drilling that accompanies construction work and neighbours playing loud music, to the sound of screeching chickens, there are many noisy distractions plaguing residents.

Speeding sports cars, motorcycles and jet skis, as well as late-night rubbish collection and honking horns are also among the complaints that compel some people to consider moving.

T R is one such resident. “We have a beautiful villa, which we love,” said the Briton, who has been living with her family in Mohammed bin Zayed City for three years. “But we have now decided to move due to our noisy neighbours, who arrived four months ago.”

Young children in the large villa next door were still up playing in the garden past midnight, she said. “My husband is a chief fire ­officer who has an early start at 5am,” said T R, a mother of an 18-year-old and a 20-year-old, who both have jobs.

“I wake up at 6.30am. As you can imagine, this is exhausting for us, because it happens most evenings. I understand this is family time but I wish they had respect for their neighbours.”

When it came to the measures to fight noise pollution, many residents said the matter was a grey area. “Calling the police can seem a little excessive, so it can be the case that you’re not really sure how to deal with this,” said Ciara Marie Rooney, a resident with experience of noisy neighbours.

Sooyeon Littell, a South Korean expatriate living in Al Muneera, recalled the anguish caused by her noisy neighbours, who have now moved away. “They were having a party almost every night, and their working hours were the complete opposite of my husband, who was getting up to go to work at almost the same time as their parties finished,” she said.

“We had a newborn baby at the time, so it wasn’t good for any of us. They threw trash at our balcony and we had to deal with loud music and voices almost every day. In the end, we called the police and contacted their company. Now they are not there, and we don’t have any problem.”

In Khalifa City A, M J, a 36-year-old Jordanian, said the most disturbing source of noise was motor vehicles, including off-road vehicles and desert quad bikes.

“They are so loud that my children sometimes wake up terrified and in tears in the middle of the night,” she said. “Some of the cars make sounds that are more like shotgun rounds.”

Gareth Pereira, who lives in the Al Zahiyah area, pointed to motorcyclists and drivers who revved their vehicle engines at “strange hours”.

“If I call the authorities, by the time they report, the driver or ­rider won’t be present,” he said.

Rubbish collectors also caused headaches, with many residents singling out midnight collections as an example of how a service can be a nuisance.

“The noise and vibrations coming from the garbage trucks wake me up whenever they drive past late at night,” said Lesley McPherson, a 40-year-old housewife. “This has been happening in the middle of the night.”

For other residents, the night brings little respite from the construction noise that is a staple of life in Abu Dhabi.

Al Zeina is one community where noise pollution has, according to several residents, reached horrendous levels, exacerbated by what they claimed was confusion and a lack of clarification over how they could report incidents to authorities and the action that could be taken.

“It’s a never-ending story,” said A G, a resident. “Where we are staying, we face a construction site and we can hear all the huge machinery used for digging, pipes being moved, workers banging on metal and trucks ­going to and from the site.

One resident said he had researched online on what could be done about the issue.

“But very little information exists on what to do about construction noise and what our rights as residents are,” he said, adding that the only “solid advice” he gained was to complain to the Ministry of Interior.

newsdesk@thenational.ae

Read more:

UAE authorities have rules to curb excessive noise

Abu Dhabi residents plagued by construction noise

UAE sound proofing company says services are in demand

Noisy nights take toll on UAE residents' health

How to make a noise complaint in the UAE