“Because I know the traffic jams usually occur around the evening and after the night prayer, I decided to skip the rush and take my daughters to the mall to play and to do my grocery shopping in the morning around 11. I was shocked to find the mall so full that I could barely get around inside to get my shopping done,” Malika Mahadar, a local resident, told Arab News.
Aside from shopping, residents have said that showing up for doctors’ appointments at local government hospitals is also being met with long waits and queues at pharmacies.
“I have had an appointment to see a specialist at one of the government hospitals for over four months. Yesterday, I went to the hospital and was very surprised, despite the large parking area, to find that we had to park outside on the street and walk a long distance to the hospital. Once inside, I explained that I had an appointment but still had to wait for over three hours to see the doctor due to the high volume of patients,” Fawzia Ahmed, another local resident, said.
Ahmed added that after seeing the doctor and being given a prescription she had to wait another hour at the hospital pharmacy just to get her medication.
Other residents say that rather than braving the traffic and crowds they are opting just to stay home and entertain themselves. But even at home surfing the Net the signs of the summer influx are apparent with slow downloading and frequent disconnections.
“I am a student working on my master’s online through a university in the UK and have found it impossible to complete my homework assignments or take tests in a timely manner due to the recent congestion on the Net,” said Samia Al-Jabber.
She said she contacted her Internet provider several times and even changed DSL services but the problem still exists.
Sami Nawwar, director of cultural affairs in the Jeddah municipality responsible for organizing the Jeddah Summer Festival, sees the increase in visitors as a good sign for the city. He told Arab News that he expects more visitors this year compared to previous years. He cited several ongoing road projects as the main reason for traffic congestion.
“We are expecting 50 percent more visitors to the city this year as compared to those in previous years, and we know that the increase in traffic is causing some difficulties. We apologize to residents and guests regarding the road construction that may be to blame. Nonetheless, we are obligated to a government plan concerning the building of tunnels and overpasses in order to help the city progress and meet our deadlines,” Nawwar said, adding that if construction is slowed down or stopped, visitors will still have to endure the same problems next year.
He pointed out that the finished road projects are already proving beneficial.
