DQ’s quiet streets rocked by huge crowds

To many residents in the Kingdom’s capital, the Diplomatic Quarter (DQ) is a haven. It has a relaxing ambiance, making one forget the worries of daily life.
It looks like a park where there’s order and quiet. This is accentuated by the tall palm trees that serve as shelter during hot summer months with their pinnate leaves.
This has been the case for the past several years despite the fact that cars are allowed entry. But not anymore. The situation changed recently due to the heavy traffic during office hours on weekdays.
The security officer of an embassy told Arab News that employers are rushing on weekdays to the embassies of manpower-supplying countries for housemaids.
“They think they can hire a housemaid from those illegal workers trying to correct their status so that they could continue working in the Kingdom,” he said.
An announcement posted at an embassy’s guardhouse said that the proper procedure to hire a housemaid is through an accredited local agency.
The heavy traffic at the DQ is exacerbated by illegal workers who line up at the side of the main road in front of their respective embassies. Some expats are walking on DQ’s main roads to wherever they’re headed: Some go to Kinde Plaza at the premises of the Arriyadh Development Authority (ADA) to either pass the time or have soda from a nearby store.
Others go to the gasoline station near DQ’s rear entrance to eat at a fast-food restaurant or have coffee in one of the three coffee shops nearby.
“As they walk on the main roads, they inevitably contribute to the traffic slowdown, causing a car buildup and irritation among impatient drivers who blow their horns,” a European told Arab News yesterday.
This makes one think that the peaceful and quiet days at the DQ are over, but one is comforted by the fact that there’s a grace period for the illegal workers to be deported or correct their status if they want to continue working in the Kingdom.
It is hoped that everything will be back to normal on July 4, the day after the grace period ends and the DQ will again be the image it has carved out in the public mind: A peaceful and quiet place endowed with the qualities of a park.