Amal Al-Sibai Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — Each summer, the brilliant blue waves and the warm waters of the Red Sea attract visitors from all regions of the Kingdom. However, this year tourists have been disappointed due to endless road construction projects, which have created bumper-to-bumper traffic jams in almost every major intersection of the city. The scorching sun and unbearable heat make it almost impossible to head to the seashore until late in the afternoon when the weather begins to cool. The Northern Ubhur Corniche is more easily accessible than the seashore in the city center and southern parts where vast parts of the Corniche there have been blocked for development, construction, and improvements. In Northern Ubhur, tourists have plenty of options to choose from to make their vacation in Jeddah memorable, such as boat rides, jet skies, fishing, and restaurants that serve dinner on a floating boat. “I brought my family from Madinah to spend our summer vacation here but I was unpleasantly surprised by the overcrowding and traffic congestion. Road blocks and construction have exacerbated the situation and the alternate routes to which traffic is being redirected are too narrow. A short road trip that should take no more than 15 minutes is taking us up to an hour," said Saudi tourist Ma'la Al-Awfi. One tourist who is in love with the coastal city, Nawaf Al-Dahaim, views Jeddah as the most beautiful and entertaining place for families in the Kingdom. He also considers Jeddah to be an ideal vacation spot due to its proximity to the holy city of Makkah. “Many services and recreational options are available for families and children in Jeddah - amusement parks, restaurants, shops, and the sea. However, the municipality must exert more efforts to keep up the cleaning and maintenance of the Corniche and its playgrounds. In addition, I urge the city's authorities to designate a private beach for families only. It is unfair that the only joy my wife gets from the brilliant sea is watching her kids jump and play in it while she sits in the heat. A private beach for families would provide a safe and suitable place for women to share in the beach fun, get wet, and sink their feet in the warm, sandy shores," said Al-Dahaim. Citizens and residents are trying to be patient with all of the construction projects because they understand that the current situation is only temporary. They only hope that the city's government bodies will expedite the work to finalize some of the projects before Ramadan and its accompanying traffic problems. “The road blocks, traffic jams, and crowding are frustrating, but we hope that in the end, Jeddah will be transformed into a more developed, organized, and advanced city. The projects need better planning so that they can be finished in a year's time before the next summer begins. Government authorities must demand a timeline and force construction companies to adhere to their schedules," said Awdah Al-Zahrani. Critics claim that since many parts of the Corniche are off limits to visitors, managers of shopping malls are taking advantage of the fact that tourists have nowhere else to go and are raising prices for family entertainment and recreation. “Inspections should be conducted in order to implement stricter controls of the increase in prices during the holiday season and to protect consumers from inflation. The mayoralty of Jeddah should have started construction work earlier because everyone knows that the Corniche is the only respite that locals have. It is their only escape from outrageously priced malls and shopping centers," said tourist Saad Al-Adila. “Investors have diverted their attention and focus to the Corniche area to provide Jeddah's residents with more playgrounds, cleaner sandy shores, shaded seating areas, cafés, restaurants, better lighting, bathrooms, sidewalks for walking and skating, and other services. It is only a matter of time until these facilities and services will be open," said a source from the public relations desk at the Jeddah mayoralty on condition of anonymity.
