Although Makkah residents take pride in serving the guests of the two holy mosques, traffic plans and roadblocks are annoying local residents, especially those living close to the Grand Mosque.

Some residents have resorted to using motorbikes. Others find the only solution is to save themselves the trouble of parking their cars near their homes, leaving their vehicles in a far-off location instead.

Muhammad Akbar, a Makkah resident living in Al-Mesyal area near the central Haram area, complained about the closure of some roads leading to his locality.

“The road leading to my house was open to pilgrims only, which is something good and a great service to the guests of the two holy mosques, but I was forced to leave my car at the Kuday parking, which is far away,” he said.

“I hire a taxi to take me as close to my house as possible and then walk. This is very tiring for us. Many of us do not leave our homes during Ramadan unless it is important. It is a waste of money to hire a taxi when I already have my own car.”

Lutfi Zaini, a resident in Al-Hafayer neighborhood that is the closest point to the Grand Mosque, said that after the Traffic Department closed down roads leading to the neighborhood, they started to park in the main street.

“The traffic police then issued a new rule banning anyone from parking on the main road, adding that any violating vehicles would be towed away,” he said.

“We are now forced to leave our cars in front of our relatives’ homes or in nearby neighborhoods. This is very annoying and forces us to limit our activities. If I want to hire a taxi, then I will end up paying the high prices pilgrims are paying. Some people refuse to use their cars during Ramadan and leave it parked in front of their homes for the whole month.”

Emad Radi, a resident in the Ajyad neighborhood, found the best way to overcome this problem was to buy a motorbike and leave his car parked in front of his house.

“Because of the large numbers of worshippers coming and leaving the Grand Mosque, the traffic police close all roads in our neighborhood two hours before and after every prayer. The best solution for me was buying a motorbike. This way I can leave my house and get things done without trouble.”

Muhammad Al-Sahli, head of Islamic studies at Umm Al-Qura University and member of the National Society for Human Rights in Makkah, said Makkah people should be patient, adding that all traffic plans were there to best serve the guests of the two holy mosques.

“It was known that in the past, people of Makkah opened their homes to pilgrims as a sign of hospitality. It is acceptable for Makkah residents who cannot reach the Grand Mosque to pray at the nearest mosque.”

He urged Makkah residents not to perform Umrah more than once during Ramadan to avoid crowding.