Traffic jam caused due to construction work is seen on Prince Majed street, Jeddah. — Archives JEDDAH – Some Jeddah residents say those who complain of traffic woes in the city do not know how to creatively drive or manage their time schedules. With overwhelming number of tourists in the Bride of the Red Sea this summer and with many parts of the city under construction for overpasses and underpasses, few would like to believe that there is a way out for regular motorists on Jeddah's roads. “I just don't go out during peak traffic times. I know roads will be crowded,” said Abdullah Hindi, an Indian web designer. “I plan my errands at times I know there won't be much traffic on roads.” “I go for shopping in the day. You won't believe how empty supermarkets are in the early morning,” said Abdurrahman Omar, an American businessman. “I would be crazy to go out shopping in the night, when the whole city seems to be driving on the city's broken roads.” “A little planning helps. It's very rare that I get caught up in frustrating situations,” he added. Nevertheless, many residents and tourists complain of what they call “never-ending road projects” in Jeddah. Saudi Gazette reported on June 5 that road works were quite vital for the development of the city. Jeddah Traffic Department chief Muhammad Al-Qahtani had described all the works being carried out as “extremely important”, the benefit from which will be seen in the future. “They have, however, had adverse effects and caused severe traffic problems in some main streets and roads,” he said. “Most of the works being done are along very busy roads, which has obliged the Traffic Department to work with other authorities to introduce diversions leading inevitably to congestion in other streets.” Al-Qahtani said that once the road works are finished the traffic congestion that has become a feature of the city would also be over. “Jeddah suffers from considerable congestion in certain periods, specifically Ramadan, the summer and during the Eids, but plans have been drawn up to ease the problem,” he said. A source at the Jeddah Mayoralty said that although road works had forced some main thoroughfares to close to traffic, the opening of temporary roads, diversions and turns had helped. “The works will have very positive results when finished and hopefully that can be done quickly,” the source said. “We would ask the public to be understanding and try and avoid streets when they are at their busiest.”
