Drivers along Al-Janoub road on their way to the tourist resorts in Taif, Al-Baha and Abha face the danger of stray camels crossing the unlit road at night and causing accidents. Many lives have been lost and people left permanently injured because camel owners fail to keep a close eye on their animals which wander along the unfenced road. Although Al-Janoub road has been expanded, the danger persists and local residents are demanding that action be taken. Saad Bin Saeed Al-Ghamdi, a Saudi who lives in a village along the road, said that he sees traffic accidents everyday caused by stray camels. “Many families have lost their lives on this road. The only solution is to fence the road and put up light poles.” Ahmad Bin Mezhir Al-Ghamdi has also called upon the concerned authorities to put an end to the increasing number of traffic accidents caused by stray camels. Muhammad Saeed, who lives in Biwa village between Taif and Al-Baha, said that “Due to the increasing number of fatalities caused by stray camels, the authorities have required all owners to mark their animals in such a way that the owner can be identified. If the camel goes astray and there is an accident, then the owner will be held responsible.” However, many camel owners have not followed the instructions and they continue to bring their camels near the highway causing accidents to innocent people, Saeed said. “When camel owners hear of an accident, they go quickly to the spot and cut off the part of the animal which has their identifying mark on it so that they won't be held responsible,” he added. Other local residents said that the expansion of Al-Janoub road has been a positive step, but now the authorities must provide the road with lights and fences. Eng. Abdulaziz Badawi Al-Ghamdi, Director General of the Roads and Transportation Department in Al-Baha Region, said that the fences demanded by citizens are only put on highways and Al-Janoub road is a two-way road not a highway. “Highways do not have intersections; instead, they have three lanes. In the future, Al-Janoub road will be a highway,” Al-Ghamdi said. Regarding lighting, he said that each municipality should provide lighting for the part of the road that falls in its jurisdiction. “Under the directives of the Emir of the Region, municipalities are responsible for providing lighting to different parts of the road,” he said. __
