62% Jeddawis say forget it! Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — In an eye-opener for Jeddah officials, 62 percent of Jeddawis contacted for a survey are not optimistic that the city's ever-worsening traffic congestion issue will be resolved soon. The survey of 847 people was recently conducted by the Saudi Gazette in collaboration with the Prince Sultan College for Tourism and Businessin Jeddah (PSCJ). Almost two-thirds of respondents were not confident that the recent construction of tunnels and bridges will make much difference to the city's clogged roads. Although local and foreign women are not licensed to drive, 116 female respondents complained about the situation because of delays in getting to work and school. Thoraya Al-Ghamdi, an associate professor of microbiology at King Abdulaziz University (KAU), said she is regularly affected by the conditions on the city's roads. “It is the amount of time wasted that annoys me. Five years ago it used to take me 20 minutes from Prince Fawaz District to the university. Today it takes 45 minutes and it's getting worse.” Najah Knafani, who has been a kindergarten teacher for 15 years, has similar gripes. “I carpool with three other female teachers and have to be out on the road at 6 A.M. to get from my home to my school in Al-Hamra District at 7:15 A.M., a distance of only seven kilometers.” Salem Al-Jebari, a 25-year-old accountant with a leading bank, believes that the city has an outdated transport system. “The world left these ancient transport modes behind in the seventies. Look no further than Dubai to see real vision. Jeddah attracts many people from all over the Kingdom searching for work or wanting to retire. This is a problem that will worsen as time goes on.” Respondents cited a number of factors contributing to the city's traffic problems, including poor zoning, population growth and increased dependence on private vehicles. Atif Al-Sifri, a retired 62-year-old civil engineer, said there were skewed priorities when he worked for the city. “I was with the Jeddah Mayoralty for over 28 years. Not a single project was carried out during the eras of Nassif and Abdul Ghani (former mayors). Jeddah's budget went to wages and maintenance. Now they're playing catch-up.” As for the increasing dependence on private vehicles, the Saudi Gazette was granted access to data from the National Information Center (NIC) in Riyadh, which clearly shows more cars being imported but with road construction not keeping pace in ten major cities in the Kingdom. Turki S. Al-Hattlan, a civil engineering professor, said the NIC data shows that the Ministry of Municipal and Rural Affairs had provided adequate funding for road construction. “The question now remains: How did city officials use these funds?” Saleh Bamehdi, a used auto parts trader and Abou Omar, the owner of a car rental firm, shared their views on Jeddah's population dynamics. “Every year in Jeddah there are more than 4,000 weddings. When the child is four years old you begin to think of kindergartens and schools. Nowadays, someyoung people in junior and high school have cars. And if the wife also works, you need a second car,” said Bamehdi. “I bet there are more than five million people living and working in Jeddah. Look at Jeddah's main roads on Wednesdays and Thursdays when people go out to eat or just to get out of the cement blocks they live in,” said Abou Omar. Asked about the traffic master plan approved three years ago and whether it will help solve the city's problems, Abou Omar said he “knows nothing about it”, while Bamehdi said “no one has ever asked for my opinion.” Jeddah has expanded 25-fold along its north-south axis over the last 30 years. The inhabited coastal area is now measured at 45 km north to south and 25 km east to west. According to the NIC, there are more than 715,000 vehicles in this area, which has inevitably created congestion on the roads. Jeddah should either retain its current road network but cut the number of vehicles by 55 percent, or allow the current number of vehicles but expand the road network by 400 percent. __
