JEDDAH — The transformation of Al-Zahra Square in north Jeddah to an intersection with traffic lights has caused resentment among residents and shop owners in the area. The removal of the roundabout was prompted by traffic jams and heavy traffic in this area. Shop owners Abdul Aziz Al-Saher and Muhammad Asiri said the state of the intersection had been much better than now, pointing out that the authorities had done more harm than good because previously vehicles could move freely in all directions. Shop owners who did not believe that this change was for the better said it was not acceptable as traffic movement would increase on Al-Arbaeen Street, especially toward northeast while it would decrease from Naseef Street increasing the bottleneck in one direction at the expense of the other. The director of Jeddah municipality, Dr. Abdul Aziz Al-Nahari, dismissed the claims, saying such charges were based on personal interests that had nothing to do with the traffic flow . Al-Nahari said the decision to replace the roundabout with a traffic intersection was implemented in accordance with the findings of a technical study that was conducted by the municipality and the traffic department in order to facilitate traffic movement in the area. — SG
