JEDDAH — Residents of Jeddah are complaining about heavy traffic jams in the city since the reopening of schools after the Eid Al-Adha break. Streets were congested in most parts of the city but it was severe in districts neighboring the expressway since the Al-Samir underpass was closed to complete the Haramain train tracks. Many people complained that their commute time between home and work used to take less than an hour, but after the shutdown of the underpass it now exceeds two hours. Fawaz Al-Ghamdi said residents living near the freeway have been struggling for years now with the lack of enough exits on the road. "There are only two bridges that serve 11 neighborhoods in east Jeddah. It doesn't make sense. Concerned authorities must find solutions to avoid the closure of roads leading to the western part of the city," said Al-Ghamdi. Ghazi Al-Sulami said time wasted on the road affects the lives of students and employees alike. "The streets become chaotic and traffic accidents peak during the rush hours. Even patients suffer because of this especially when they have to visit hospitals due to appointments or emergency situations," said Al-Sulami. Aziz Al-Malki was surprised at the absence of traffic police from the congested roads. He said they must be present at every corner to stop trucks and tankers from creating more chaos on already congested roads. "Truck drivers have bad habits of parking at odd locations, which makes the situation worse. We demand that traffic police be stationed everywhere to monitor traffic and try to control it," he said.
