Saudi Gazette report MAKKAH – The Traffic Department has denied a report circulated on the Internet that it had created a section for settling fines for road violations recorded by Saher, the automated traffic control and monitoring system. The report widely circulated through social networking sites, mobile text messages and Internet blogs claimed that the Traffic Department had set up a special section for settling traffic fines before they were doubled following a fatwa by Sheikh Abdul Aziz Aal Al-Sheikh, the Kingdom's Grand Mufti, early last year. Al-Sheikh had urged the Traffic Department to look for alternatives to ensure compliance with the law. Dismissing the rumors, Brig. Gen. Mish'al Al-Maghrabi, Director of Makkah Traffic Department, said, “The regulation stays as it is and will not change whatsoever.” Responding to the remarks of the Grand Mufti who said doubling of unpaid traffic fines must be forbidden as it could be construed as usury, Al-Maghrabi said the Traffic Department and Saher were executive agencies that enforced regulations enacted by higher authorities. He also clarified that any changes to the existing law should come from the decision-makers of the country and said the Traffic Department could not make any such decisions. Al-Maghrabi said it was not the Traffic Department that enacted this law. “It is a state law laid down by the Prime Minister and we enforce it on the ground,” he said. The official denied creation of any new section in the department and said the Penalties Authority was the section authorized to look into people's complaints and grievances regarding Saher. Asked about the heavy burden imposed on the public by the doubling of traffic fines, which at times go as high as SR20,000 and even reach SR50,000 in some cases, Al-Maghrabi said it was the motorist who was to blame for committing the violation in the first place and then not paying the penalty within the specified time. He said motorists who resort to speeding were harming themselves and the lives of others. “So far, Saher has been the strongest deterrent to speeding. The traffic system is automated and does not discriminate against anyone,” the official said, adding that Saher has contributed greatly in disciplining youngsters who drive recklessly on city streets endangering people's lives and property. Dr. Talal Bakri, a member of the Shoura Council, had sparked a heated debate when he remarked in the Shoura that the doubling of traffic fines was tantamount to usury. He had expressed surprise at the way the system doubled the penalties at a time when the drivers were unable to pay even the original fine within the specified period and required more time.
