DAMMAM, 29 December — The heavy traffic on the King Fahd Causeway linking the Kingdom with Bahrain was disrupted for two hours between 4 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Thursday following a computer failure at the Passports Department on the Saudi side of the bridge.
Travelers were furious at the officials as the delay extended to one hour in some cases to complete the formalities, although all the counters were manned and operational. These procedures normally take a couple of minutes on weekdays and 20 minutes from Wednesday to Friday.
The travelers complained to Arab News that delays were common on the Saudi side of the bridge, while the Bahraini side took only a few minutes even at peak hours.
Abdullah Al-Amour, a Saudi traveler, said the women’s section at the Passports Department caused a lot of confusion as there is no parking area there. When women return after completing the formalities, they start running here and there in confusion, unable to identify their cars that have been moved on from the position where they were first dropped off. Such women apparently created a great deal of confusion on Thursday, adding to the already delayed traffic.
Capt. Hasan Al-Rasheedi, a Passports Department official, said his colleagues had worked hard to cope with the holiday rush on Thursday when the computer failure disrupted normal operations.
He attributed the confusion in front of the women’s counter to their companions who chose to park their cars in a disorderly manner.
As to the longer waiting time at the Saudi side compared to the Bahraini counters, the official said it was because Saudi regulations differed from those in Bahrain.
Saudi law stipulates that women and minors should carry additional documents, such as a letter of consent from their legal guardian, when traveling outside the country, while in Bahrain such documents are not required.
