So smooth, so salik???

As I was wandering out to get a newspaper today, I noticed quite a few Salik tags, and quite a few cars without Salik tags. I was going to take a sample and try to estimate, but then, when I got home, the Gulf News had the story: about 25% of cars registered in Dubai have the tags.

Most taxis have them, but I saw one (out of about 20) that didn't.

Some motorists must be avoiding the toll road, some must be hoping the RTA will back down and not actually enforce the fines, and some may be planning to take advantage of the grace period of several days.

I have an appointment which will require me cross the Garhoud Bridge on Wednesday, which means paying the taxi an extra Dh 8, or about €1.40 (round trip). But there's a good chance my client may cancel (he's canceled more often than he's kept appointments with me), so I may be able to avoid experiencing Salik.