Ibrahim Kutbi Okaz TRAFFIC jams have become a daily occurrence on our roads and streets. The Kingdom's streets are chaotic and do not reflect the actual development the country is witnessing. One feels as if drivers in Saudi Arabia do not know what it means to comply with traffic rules. It seems that we have come to terms with the road conditions just like a patient with a chronic condition has come to grips with his disease. But what other options do we have other than adjusting to the stark reality of our streets? How can we save the distressed and get to them in time when our streets are always clogged? For example, it is difficult to respond to an emergency situation in south Jeddah even though the roads leading to this part of the city have several lanes. Many countries around the world have made the left-most lane a shoulder road that is used for emergencies only. During peak hours, drivers are often allowed to use the shoulder road but if they see an ambulance, or a police car in the lane, they have to make way and give priority to these emergency vehicles. But in the Kingdom, traffic on our streets remains unorganized and people seem to be oblivious to the fact that emergency lanes are for emergencies only. Consequently, if an accident occurs, ambulances and other responding emergency vehicles will experience delays in reaching the scene of the accident. This is because drivers traveling in the emergency lane refuse to give way to them with some drivers even engaging in a race with the ambulances. Amid all this mess, traffic officers are nowhere to be found but their Saher cameras are everywhere, handing out fines to vehicles that violate traffic laws. Our roads are designed to allow emergency vehicles navigate through traffic, but what is the use of emergency lanes if ambulances cannot get to the scene of an accident on time? The Traffic Department used electronic surveillance cameras to monitor crowds of hundreds of thousands of pilgrims who came to the Kingdom to perform Haj. There is a dire need for more organized traffic rules for our streets such as the Haramain Road. The problem of congested streets and roads need to be solved.
