Coaches carrying pilgrims to Makkah are parked outside the Meeqat Mosque in Madinah, Thursday. The General Cars Syndicate, the agency responsible for the transportation of Haj pilgrims within the holy cities, has raised the tempo of services with the arrival of large numbers of pilgrims from abroad in the Prophet's City. — SG/SPA Fahd Al-Manaee Saudi Gazette MAKKAH – The Makkah Traffic Directorate has called on Tawafa guides and others involved in transporting pilgrims to comply with traffic rules and plans that have been designed by the administration for this year's Haj season. The administration's annual meeting held recently in Makkah was attended by senior officers of Makkah Traffic Directorate and top officials from Arab Pilgrims' Establishment. Muhammad Majini, deputy director of the establishment and supervisor of the pilgrims' transport department, said the meeting aimed to facilitate cooperation between his organization and other relevant authorities to facilitate the movement of pilgrims to and from the holy sites. According to Brig. Saad Al-Jabari, commander of traffic at Arafat, on the day of Arafat all buses should use Street 54 then Road 9 and afterward they should take roads 56 and 62. There are 16 parking lots for buses in Arafat that can accommodate 5,885 buses, in addition to a big parking lot that can take up to 1,008 buses, Al-Jabari said. He said drivers should be notified by Tawafa establishments that they can only use these parking lots and not leave their buses in random places in the streets and roads because this would disrupt traffic flow and result in congestions. Regarding the movement of pilgrims from Arafat to Muzdalifah, Al-Jabari said all buses would be traveling toward the west only. Brig. Abdullah Al-Shahrani, who is in charge of parking lots for buses, discussed the changes that would be introduced this year regarding the locations of pilgrim camps. He said the old camps were moved from their location at the south ring road to the new location in south Arafat to make way for the Al-Mashaer train. Buses can reach the new location of camps by going through the intersection of Taif Road with Street 54 west and then taking Street 91, he explained. Al-Shahrani stressed cooperation with the Makkah traffic police would make this year's plan successful. He urged pilgrim buses to strictly abide by traffic rules to prevent obstructions in roads. Brig. Abdul Rahman Zaher, who is in charge of parking lots for buses used by Haj transportation companies, said it was important buses stick to their departure times on the sixth day of Dhul Haj from the Shumaisy checkpoint to Makkah. Each bus should have a guide on board to give directions to its destination, he added. Buses should not stop at checkpoints and continue their trip to Makkah without stopping at the Al-Aziziah neighborhood as they did last year, he said. There are parking lots for buses and guides on board should take their buses there. Col. Makhlad Al-Maqati, assistant commander of Arafat traffic, said on way back to Mina all buses should travel from west to east and not stop on the side of the road. Col. Hadi Al-Subaee, commander of Mina traffic, said on the 11th, 12th and 13th of Dhul Haj, buses should use tunnels and bridges. Some areas in Mina will be for pedestrians only. The Al-Aziziah tunnel leading to the train station and Al-Jamarat complex will be used this year to facilitate the movement of pilgrims. Col. Muhammad Al-Basami, who is in charge of checkpoints at the entrances to the holy sites, said any vehicle or motorcycle that does not have a license will not be allowed to enter. The Makkah Traffic Directorate will launch a campaign to confiscate all unlicensed vehicles and motorcycles. Col. Salih Al-Khashan, assistant director of Makkah Traffic, said the new plan came into force Wednesday.
