Dubai this week: new speed limits, rainy season plans and what’s on to 5 November

Roads and transport

From 1 November, the limit on Al Asayel Street rises from 60 to 80 km/h, and Al Mustaqbal Street and Latifa bint Hamdan Street go from 60 to 70 km/h. Two limits come down: Al Rebat Street from 100 to 90 km/h, and Sheikh Sabah Al Ahmad Al Jaber Al Sabah Street from 80 to 70 km/h. Dubai’s Roads and Transport Authority (RTA) said it will replace the speed limit signs on the affected sections, and speed cameras will be reprogrammed in preparation for 1 November. The new limits apply in both directions on the affected sections of each street.

RTA also said on 22 October that it has upgraded its virtual assistant, Mahboub, so that linked steps, such as paying vehicle fines and then renewing a vehicle’s registration, can be completed in a single conversation, with UAE PASS used for verification and Dubai Sadad for payment. The first services covered are vehicle registration renewal, fines payment, clearance certificates and number plate reservation renewals. RTA said the enhanced version is being prepared for public rollout and gave no launch date.

Dubai Police issued 7,735 fines and impounded 1,630 vehicles for excessive noise and unauthorised modifications between January and September 2026, the force said on 21 October, and on 23 October it announced a pedestrian safety campaign that highlights the AED 400 fine for crossing at undesignated places or ignoring traffic signals. Separately, lost item reports and vehicle colour change permits can now be handled at participating ENOC, ADNOC and Emarat petrol stations, taking the On the Go initiative to 10 services across 167 stations.

In Jumeirah Lakes Towers, Parkin will keep running about 2,800 paid parking spaces for another 10 years under a renewed agreement with DMCC announced on 21 October. It is a renewal rather than a change of operator, with no change announced to tariffs, zones or hours.

Ready for rain

Dubai Municipality has about 675 staff on round-the-clock standby, about 1,100 items of equipment and 10 temporary water collection lakes ready for the rainy season, and has cleaned more than 70,000 drainage inlets. Building owners with basements are asked to check that non-return valves work, and water build-up can be reported on 800900 by phone or WhatsApp.

On the federal road network, the Ministry of Energy and Infrastructure said on 22 October that it is readying 17 pumping stations and 800 stormwater culverts. It monitors dams and wadis around the clock, with an early flood warning mechanism.

Money and business

Businesses with revenue of AED 50,000,000 or more must appoint an Accredited Service Provider by 30 October 2026 and implement e-invoicing by 1 January 2027. Separately, a Ministry of Finance decision announced on 19 October excludes transactions within VAT tax groups for 24 months from 1 January 2027 and drops the requirement to store e-invoice data in the UAE.

DIP Holding, the owner of Dubai Investments Park, plans to list on the Dubai Financial Market, with Dubai Investments offering 1,735,243,300 existing shares, or 20% of the company’s issued share capital. According to the announcement filed with the DFM on 19 October, the subscription period is expected to run from 27 October to 3 November 2026, with trading anticipated on or around 11 November. WAM reported that the first tranche, 5% of the offer shares, is for individual subscribers and other eligible investors holding a valid National Investor Number with the DFM.

Emirates NBD reported a nine-month profit after tax of AED 19.3 billion, up 2%, and trade through the three zones of the Dubai Integrated Economic Zones Authority (DIEZ) reached AED 246 billion in the first half of 2026, up 17%. For visitors, the Federal Tax Authority says its new AI platform at DXB has cut the time to receive a tourist VAT refund to one business day, from about nine days. Tenants with a renewal coming up can check how much a Dubai rent can rise under Decree No. 43 of 2013, from no increase up to 20%, and the 90-day notice rule.

For drivers, October’s fuel prices put Special 95 at AED 4.28 a litre. WAM published the October prices on 30 September, the last day of the previous month, as it has done for recent months.

Schools

The Knowledge and Human Development Authority (KHDA) said on 12 October that it will begin quality assurance visits to private schools in the first term of the 2026-27 academic year, and that for the first time schools will get no more than 24 hours’ notice of a visit. The visits focus on early childhood, the education of Emirati students, inclusive education and Arabic teaching. KHDA said 81% of students in Dubai private schools receive a Good or better quality of education, and in September it reported that the emirate’s private schools placed in the world’s top 10 in every PISA 2025 domain.

What’s on

Global Village Season 31 is open until May 2027, with AED 25 weekday and AED 30 any day tickets, from 4pm to midnight Sunday to Wednesday and to 1am Thursday to Saturday. Riders for Dubai Ride on 1 November choose between a 12km Sheikh Zayed Road route and a 4km Downtown family loop, and must collect a bib from the Fitness Village at Zabeel Park by 31 October. Dubai Opera has TITIZÉ: A Venetian Dream from 29 to 31 October, from AED 275, and Dubai Sports Council’s new calendar of more than 500 events includes the Dubai Premier Padel P1 from 8 to 15 November.

Coming up, 29 October to 5 November

• Thursday 29 to Saturday 31 October: TITIZÉ at Dubai Opera; Dubai Ride bib collection at Zabeel Park ends on 31 October.
• Friday 30 October: deadline for larger businesses to appoint an e-invoicing Accredited Service Provider.
• Saturday 31 October: the 10th Dubai Fitness Challenge begins, running to 29 November.
• Sunday 1 November: new speed limits on five streets; Dubai Ride starts at 6am; Woofstock at Dubai Media City Amphitheatre from 3pm.
• Tuesday 3 November: the DIP Holding subscription period is expected to close; Dubai Design Week opens at d3, running to 8 November.
• Wednesday 4 November: Downtown Design opens at d3, running to 8 November.
• Thursday 5 November: the Dubai International Rally begins, running to 8 November.