V V and Sons was the place to go for Hi Fidelity Sound Equipment in 1970s and 80s
Nagamichi, Technics, Marantz, NAD, Denon, Nakamichi, Sansui were available in V V's Al Fahidi Street Store
V V and Sons opened their first Dubai Store in 1958
Dubai's First Traffic Lights were installed in Al Fahidi Street opposite VV and Sons.
Why the lights were installed at this junction is unclear.
There was little traffic and not a major junction so not a real test for Dubai's new Traffic Lights.
Nevertheless Drivers soon adapted and developed techniques for dealing with traffic lights.
They use the same techniques over 40+ years later
- with exactly the same results!!!!
Dubai's Drivers have always been impatient, no more so than when waiting at Dubai's first Traffic Lights.
Drivers sounded their horns if they thought Traffic Lights were taking too long to change.
For no apparent reason these Traffic Lights were switched off at midnight and on again at 6 am.
When the Traffic Lights switched on at 6am, drivers started pressing their horn buttons.
Apartment Residents did not need Alarm Clocks!
Location of Dubai's First Traffic Lights
These Traffic Lights were installed at the request of Dubai Municipality No.2 Boss Mr Abdul Ghaffor.
They were purchased from GEC Elliott Automation (long since gone) and installed by myself supervising Cable Jointers from the Dubai State Telephone Company.
I remember we put more Traffic Lights in over the next few years. The next set of Traffic Lights we installed was at Al Fahidi Fort junction.Steve Camm (Dubai Resident 1969-78)
I recall Traffic Lights installed at the junction of Quarry Road and Al Mina Street around 1967 which predates the Traffic Lights described on your page. They were installed to control Trucks carrying rock to Port Rashid Construction Site.David Johnston
(Dubai Resident-Sir William Halcrow & Partners
1966-1970,1981-1984)
David - I'd forgotten those Traffic Lights! Should have remembered.
Drove through them everyday for a number of years.
I guess those Traffic Lights were part of a construction site.
Traffic Lights on this page were the first official Traffic Lights installed by Dubai Municipality so a (seemingly permanent) Dubai Milestone.
There is now a page devoted to Al Mina Street Traffic Lights that David refers to HERE.
A New Building is replacing Al Owais Building but the Traffic Lights are still there.
