DAMMAM/MADINA: The precarious weather conditions in the Eastern Province Saturday produced low instances of traffic offenses as the Saher speed cameras came into operation in the early morning. “Reduced visibility caused drivers to slow down and not many instances of speeding were registered,” said an official from the company operating the Saher cameras. “Only a few hundred infractions were recorded.” The official said that warning signs had been erected on all roads in the region alerting motorists to the presence of speed cameras and maximum speed limits. “Infrared camera have been installed at 70 sites and will come into operation gradually, firstly in Dammam, Dhahran, Al-Khobar and Qatif, and later in the rest of the towns and regions of the province,” the official said. According to the operating company, 240 fixed and mobile cameras will eventually come into operation in the four cities. “At the moment we have 12 mobile cameras in vehicles working on the highways, and that number will go up to 27 by the end of the week,” the company said. In Madina, meanwhile, the varying speed limits along the King Abdul Aziz and Prince Abdul Majed Bin Abdul Aziz roads is causing the consternation of motorists, with some saying they have been finding it difficult to discern the limits on signs when visibility is reduced due to unfavorable weather. In some places signs indicating different speed limits are only one kilometer apart,” one driver said. “In the end you can't trust them, and we don't know how fast we're allowed to drive and at what speed the cameras are going to register a fine against us. There should be one set limit for all roads.” The Madina Traffic chief told Okaz/Saudi Gazette that it was impossible to set the same limits for every road. “When we set speed limits we have to take into account the population density of the zone and the density of traffic movement in it,” said Saraj Kamil. “There's a big difference between an inner-city road and one outside the urban zone.” The Saher system was inaugurated Saturday in Dammam, Al-Khobar, Qatif and Dhahran, two days later than the original projected date, and is expected to come into operation soon in Al-Ahsa, Hafr Al-Batin, Al-Khafji and Jubail.
