9,400,000 vehicles on the road at present Half a million new cars registered yearly Kingdom's car market worth more than $9 billion Saudi Arabia will have over four million traffic accidents a year by 2030 Lower road density, a higher proportion of motor vehicles, and the driving culture are reasons behind the large number of road accidentsRIYADH – The General Administration of Traffic has joined the International Association of Public Transport (UITP) in a bid to gain expertise on solving the nation's traffic and public transport problems. An agreement to this effect was signed here Tuesday. Lt. Gen. Saeed Bin Abdullah Al-Qahtani, Director of Public Security, underlined the Kingdom's huge transport potential and the experience it has gained over the past few decades. He said the Kingdom has seen massive transport developments recently, especially with the construction of the trains linking the Holy Sites. Dr. Abdulaziz Bin Abdulrahman Al-Awhali, Undersecretary at the Ministry for Transport Affairs and Chairman of the UITP for Middle East and North Africa, said that the General Administration of Traffic joined the UITP because it wants to tackle traffic congestion and accidents, and reduce the effect they have on the Kingdom's cities. Al-Awhali said 16 Saudi government and public sector bodies have joined the UITP. Brig. Ali Bin Omar Al-Jaloud, Deputy Director-General of the Traffic Administration, said there will be over 9.4 million cars on the Kingdom's roads by the end of 2011. This number is rising dramatically, with 500,000 new cars registered every six months. This has resulted in traffic jams, rising traffic accidents and pollution. According to its website, UITP is the international network for public transport authorities and operators, policy decision-makers, scientific institutes and the public transport supply and service industry. It is a platform for worldwide cooperation, business development and the sharing of know-how between its 3,400 members from 92 countries. UITP is the global advocate of public transport and sustainable mobility, and the promoter of innovations in the sector. Al-Qahtani said the Kingdom was looking forward to gaining some expertise from the UITP to solve its traffic and public transport problems. He urged all sectors to make good use of the UITP, especially with regard to the transport of Haj and Umrah pilgrims. He said more pilgrims will come to the Kingdom if an efficient transport system is in place. Othman Theem, President of the UITP, reviewed the objectives of the body, which was established in Belgium in 1885. He said the body was committed to solving transport problems all over the world.
