LET us take a close look at tourism in Jeddah and the city’s problem of traffic congestion.

— Traffic congestion costs the country SR9 billion annually.

— There are over a million vehicles in Jeddah.

— There are over 2,000 buses for public use. They serve 200,000 passengers daily.

— There are over 1,400 limousines serving 85 million passengers annually.

A number of newspapers have discussed these problems. They were also discussed when a new mayor was appointed for Jeddah. To begin with, I wish the new mayor the greatest success in managing and leading the Bride of the Red Sea. He is, I am sure, already well aware that our beautiful city faces a number of problems which call for immediate attention. Some major problems include infrastructure, urbanization, public parks, sewage system, road maintenance and, above everything else, traffic congestion.

Traffic congestion is a nightmare for all industrial nations and even worse than a nightmare for poor and undeveloped ones. We need to do something about the problem at once so that the negative effects are minimized as much as possible.

Jeddah is no longer a quiet little town on the Red Sea; it is now one of the Kingdom’s main urban centers with a population greater than 2.5 million and more than one million vehicles. Traffic during rush hours is a major contributor to air pollution. In addition, there is a delay in getting from one point to another which is hardly surprising if we take into account that there are 2.5 million people using the city’s roads and highways. If we combine normal traffic congestion, delays at traffic lights and traffic jams due to accidents, we come up with 1.25 minute per person, i.e. 75 million minutes daily or 437.5 million lost hours annually. Fuel consumption in these circumstances also increases which translates into vast sums of wasted money. Other losses include increased fuel production costs, transportation of materials and goods and movement of personnel.

Jeddah must take the lead as there is competition between major cities to attract investment. Moreover, Jeddah is a strategically located economic center on the Red Sea and is also the gateway to the two holy cities. It is worth mentioning that 60 percent of the Kingdom’s total imports come via Jeddah’s seaport.

In addition, Jeddah is a tourist center, especially during the summer season; it is well served by hotels, furnished flats, chalets and commercial centers. The past three years, with a total of 2.5 million visitors to the city, have shown that Jeddah is a major tourist center.

In light of the number of visitors and their expectations, serious work and attention is required to bring traffic services, as well as others, up to an acceptable standard. Traffic congestion must take precedence as it is a major problem. Close cooperation is required of three different bodies: the Ministry of Transportation, the Traffic Department and Jeddah Municipality. There is a need for new rules and regulations but unless the new ones, as well as the old ones, are enforced, nothing will change and the problem will simply worsen.