Joud Al-Amri Saudi Gazette JEDDAH — As a record number of infrastructure projects take place in Jeddah, giant craters and gaping cracks on the city's streets have long become a menace for drivers. Residents say the issue of potholes is a long-standing problem that damages vehicles and results in both financial losses and accidents. The Jeddah Mayoralty, however, said the potholes are temporary and the price of development as the city is witnessing the construction of an unprecedented number of infrastructure projects, including flyovers, tunnels, intersections and drainage works. Speaking to Saudi Gazette, Abdul Aziz Al-Nahari, the mayoralty spokesman, said: “It is inevitable for us as citizens and residents of the city to be patient. What we now suffer is a tax for development. It is true that the ongoing development projects have resulted in closure of some roads or digging works at some others but all of this is just temporary.” Al-Nahari said there are rare cases in which development works and re-digging for repair works were being carried out on the same street. “First, we finish works on a street and then start work on the street in the opposite direction. We do this to facilitate smooth traffic flow. Contractors carrying out water and electricity projects often excavate the same area more than once but this is for good reason,” he said while adding the mayoralty gives equal priority to both the northern and southern parts of the city. Drivers in Jeddah experience a lot of difficulties because of potholes, detours and the ongoing construction projects, all of which result in heavy traffic jams, increased travel times and vehicle maintenance. Khaled Al-Sohaimi said he has to change his car's tires on a regular basis due to the potholes all over the city's streets. “On one occasion, I had to change tires of my car for a second time within a month. There are also other problems such increased travel times due to lengthy traffic jams,” he said while noting that the average cost of vehicle maintenance has gone up considerably. Umm Muhammad, a Saudi woman in her 60s, said she faces numerous problems due to the city's traffic woes. “It is very difficult to get anywhere on time because of the traffic congestion. I have had to wait for a long time for my driver to return home after carrying out the duties that I assigned,” she said while adding she also has to bear the costs of changing her car's tires every three to four months. Fed up spending money maintaining his car, Omar Khaled said he is seriously thinking about either buying a bicycle or using public transportation. “I reject the idea of buying an expensive car and getting it damaged on the roads and streets, which, in their current state, are obviously not fit to handle vehicles,” he said. “These problems have been there since I was a child. First they put the blame on poor drainage that submerged streets in water and now they are saying it's all of the projects,” he added.
