The Cabinet's decision to establish a roads general authority contributes to enhancing the sector's governance through separating legislation and operation, enhancing competitiveness in building and maintaining roads, and increasing the level of safety in a bid to make Saudi Arabia reach the sixth rank globally in terms of quality of roads. The formation of the authority was among several decisions that were issued by the Cabinet to restructure and develop the sector of transport and logistics services in a way to keep pace with the comprehensive civil renaissance that Saudi Arabia is witnessing in all fields toward realizing the Saudi Vision 2030. Establishing the Roads General Authority accords with the historic reforms of the transport and logistics services system through implementing a series of decisions, which included launching the National Transport Strategy, establishing an agency concerned with logistics services at the Ministry of Transport, and combining the activities of railway transport under the administration of the Saudi Railway Company (SAR), which enhance the supervisory role of the Ministry of Transport on all sectors of transport and logistics services in the Kingdom. The decision to establish the authority included several goals and tasks, such as preparing strategic plans on roads and their organization in coordination with other stakeholders, supervising their implementation after being accredited, proposing relevant draft bylaws to the specialization of the authority, suggesting amendments to enacted laws and referring them to proceed with necessary official procedures. The authority will also be tasked with setting terms, standards, constraints and qualities for establishing roads and preparing safety and environment standards within the urban borders and beyond, in addition to implementing maintenance works for roads in coordination with stakeholders and following up on abiding by them and their implementation. The authority will also be tasked with assuming relevant operational tasks, such as planning, designing, execution and maintenance and supervision on these works, where the Roads General Authority will also has the power to grant licenses and permits in the road sector, and technically verifying accidents resulting from the implementation and maintenance of roads, and coordinating with other stakeholders to provide roads with necessary services and to establish training and research centers for the road sector. It will be responsible for conducting studies and research concerned with roads and their projects, organizing exhibitions and conferences concerned with roads, representing the Kingdom in concerned international commissions and organizations. The authority will responsible for establishing a database with all data related to statistics of roads in the Kingdom in coordination with all stakeholders. The Authority will also seek to ensure the sustainability of Saudi Arabia's infrastructure, provide road networks with high levels of efficiency, increase connectivity among cities and governorates, and facilitate the transport movement of individuals and goods between Saudi Arabia's regions according to high security standards that can contribute to enhancing the quality of life. — SPA
