I read in the magazine's edition recently a study about traffic congestion in Riyadh. It is a congestion only those of us who have gone through would be able to appreciate. It said the traffic problem causes the following adverse results:
• Economic loss of about SR7 billion annually due to delays.
• A tax on the citizens, financially, morally and physically.
• A reduction in performance of employees.
• Pollution.
• Increased tensions among drivers.
Solutions have been suggested millions of times, but to no avail. It seems that all officials have opted to be seated among spectators. There are no respectable public transport buses for citizens and expats to take. There are no metro trains in the offing and no sharing of cars when driving students to school.
Jeddah is fast moving in the same direction. It suffers from a chronic traffic problem that only a modern transport system will resolve. I do not expect to see such a thing in my lifetime; maybe my grandchildren will be lucky enough to see it.
Our traffic problem looks so much like our flood problem. We will only move when floods and rains strike.
