Heavy police presence in Dubai for Burj Khalifa New Year’s celebrations

Anyone who’s been out and about in Dubai at 12 am for the last two years as the New Year ticked over, you’d have seen that the unusually-heavy traffic at the time comes to a standstill all over the city as soon as the celebratory Burj Khalifa fireworks begin. Apparently now your car will be impounded if you stop on a major highway to watch the 2013 show.

According to Gulf News, about 400 “police patrols” will spread out in the areas around Burj Khalifa, Dubai Mall and Downtown Dubai to fine motorists who stop on the side of the road, blocking traffic or generally causing a traffic jam during the spectacle. They’ll keep a watch as far away as Bur Dubai, Deira, Al Khail Road and Dubai International Financial Centre, starting from 2 pm on New Year’s Eve.

The Dubai Police says they will block certain roads in the Emaar Boulevard area, and will keep an eye out for drunk-driving idiots leaving various hotels late at night. As usual, the standard message of the RTA is to take the Metro, even though everyone who took the Metro last year know what a log-jam that was.

In short, find a vantage point from a faraway building and get some good binoculars.