The Traffic Department in Jeddah has mobilized all its human and material resources to ensure the smooth flow of traffic during this holy month, deploying more officers in areas that witness heavy traffic. Director of Traffic in Jeddah Maj. Gen. Waslullah Al-Harbi said the department will adopt eight measures to reduce traffic congestion in various parts of the city. "We have covered the traffic congestion at the vegetable market since last week by unifying the movement of vehicles from the west to east," he pointed out. Traffic officers will keep an eye on Jeddah's entry and exit points. "We have appointed adequate number of patrol teams to remove traffic bottlenecks near supermarkets and shopping centers where shoppers galore during Ramadan," he said. Additional officers have been deployed near date and vegetable shops near the Binladin Mosque along Abdullah Al-Sulaiman Street as well as near the shops in Balad along the Saheefa Street to guarantee the smooth flow of traffic and prevent violations such as wrong parking. "We pay special attention motorists in the late afternoon when people rush home to break their fast after purchasing essentials from the market. Our officers also keep a watch on the crowds in front of restaurants between Asr and Maghreb prayers," Al-Harbi said. Traffic officers will be deployed near mosques especially before and after taraweeh prayers. "We'll cover all mosques to facilitate entry and exit of worshippers," the director said. Al-Harbi said his department would coordinate with the mayoralty to unify the direction of traffic in some areas such as the Dhahab Street where the direction will be from south to north and this road will serve as the main entrance to Balad from south. Speaking about unification of direction on the Bareed Street, Al-Harbi said the traffic would be directed from north to south on the street. It will serve as an exit point for vehicles coming from King Abdulaziz Street. "The move is taken to facilitate traffic flow in this area." He said the department would intensify the presence of traffic patrol in front of shopping centers and malls on the main streets. "We request shoppers who seek to visit big malls to look for other malls and markets if they could not find parking," he said. Al-Harbi expected heavy traffic at King Abdulaziz International Airport in Jeddah due to arrival of hundreds of thousands of Umrah pilgrims everyday from different regions of the Kingdom and all parts of the world. "We have deployed additional traffic patrol at the airport." Adequate number of traffic officers will be placed along the Jeddah-Makkah Expressway, Haramain Road and Kubri Al-Khair, as well as Jeddah-Madinah Expressway and other major roads. "Our officers will also keep a close look on the Corniche area in the morning hours to prevent wrong practices. A number of plainclothes policemen will be placed in this area. We'll also change the timing of traffic lights considering the number of vehicles in queue," he explained.
