Ibrahim Alawi Okaz/Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Residents of Jeddah find no respite to the suffocating traffic jams they struggle with daily from early morning to midnight. Most of the city streets become paralyzed throughout the day and drivers are unable to escape the deadly heat with crowds of vehicles on all sides. Traffic jams peak at 7 a.m. when students go to school and employees start their commute. The chaos continues until 10 p.m. on all main roads and even smaller streets. It is expected that this traffic dilemma would increase once pilgrims arrive to the city from allover the world during the Haj season. Okaz/Saudi Gazette took a road trip across several districts of Jeddah to monitor the traffic jams choking the city and its inevitable consequences. A visit to Al-Haramain Road that connects Jeddah with the holy cities, Madinah Road, Prince Majid Road, King Fahd Road and Prince Muhammad Bin Abdulaziz (Tahliah) Road clearly indicated the congestion the city suffers from. Traffic was slow on many other streets, including Al-Falah Road and Palestine Street, as well at different hours of the day. Long hours on road Commuters on Al-Haramain Road, who pass via Briman Bridge to reach Palestine Bridge, suffer the most due to ongoing construction work in the area and its surroundings. Drivers complain of the long hours they had to spend on the road due to several detours. Mohammed Al-Hakami, who travels daily on Al-Haramain Road, said the Bride of the Red Sea is suffering due to ongoing construction projects and "hopefully things will get better in the near future, especially with all the development happening in the city". “Personally, I try to run my errands at times when the traffic situation is not so bad such as the afternoon and after 10 in the evening. I also try to avoid main streets known for severe congestions.” Malls and parks Hisham Mohanef described the situation as "unbearable". He said the traffic does not clear at anytime of the day except for a few hours in the afternoon. “I've decided not to leave my house except for prayers in the nearby mosque or in cases of emergency. I try to choose streets that are not crowded to avoid chaos and suffocation. I completely avoid shopping centers and parks because they create the worst traffic jams,” said Mohanef. Faisal Mohammed also confirmed that Jeddah is constantly suffering from congested roads and streets.
