According to a study by the Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA), the city’s daily traffic volume amounts to some 5.5 million trips with private vehicles accounting for 93 percent of that number. Experts predict that in under 20 years the number will rise to 15.5 million if there is no change in the transportation system and if people continue to shun public transport.
If these figures are true, we are heading straight into a crisis and the authorities should move quickly and take the necessary measures before it is too late. The problem could have been averted if decisions taken more than 20 years ago to regulate public transport had been fully implemented. At that time a public transport company was established to handle both in-city and inter-city transport. It was a strong beginning in which every detail was taken care of — modern buses, shaded bus stops and special areas for women — to ensure the success of the project. But then for some reason, the service deteriorated and in fact, the in-city service almost disappeared completely.
Enter at this point the notorious minibuses which are recklessly driven, disregard all traffic regulations and are virtually ignored by the traffic police. These vehicles are owned and operated by Saudis, despite an earlier decision giving the public transport company exclusive rights to operate in cities and between cities. Good-sense did not prevail and the number of the small buses mushroomed and as they did so, they spread chaos in our streets. What had begun as a planned well-functioning public transport system was short-lived.
Disaster struck again with the introduction of the white taxi service. All over the world this service is a help to the public but here it creates more problems than it solves. Large numbers of taxis roam the streets round the clock, hunting for passengers while the weary drivers struggle to make ends meet. The result is more accidents, traffic jams plus rapid depreciation of the vehicle’s value. I don’t really understand why the problem has been ignored for so long; the usual experts — of whom every ministry is full — at the relevant ministry are fully aware of how to solve the problem. Problems notwithstanding, the plans by ADA for a comprehensive public transport system intended to serve all residents of the city without exception must be welcomed. Let us dream of the day when we can stop using private cars for everything and use public transport for going to work and sending our children to school.
Arab News From the Local Press 24 April 2003
