Trucks defy city entry ban

Many truck drivers are still defying the traffic department by driving on the city's highways during peak hours.
To avoid the traffic police, these drivers drive through residential areas to reach the highways. “They do not fear being penalized and are not pulled over,” Abu Turki, a Saudi resident, told Arab News.
Saeed Al-Bassami, chairman of the transport committee at the Jeddah Chamber of Commerce and Industry (JCCI), said that the municipality has not implemented the system of penalties for errant truck drivers because the 12 sites where trucks should be impounded are not ready.
“It is hard to impound trucks temporarily without the appropriate space,” he said. The transport committee would study the impact of the impounding decision on the sector three months after implementation, he said. Ali Mansour, a transport sector expert, said that the local authorities must start penalizing truck drivers who break the law. The JCCI should also suspend the membership of companies which do not comply with the peak-hour ban.
Trucks are banned from entering the city from 6 a.m. to 9 a.m., 12 noon to 3 p.m. and 5 p.m. to 1 a.m.
Arab News reported previously that the Jeddah traffic department had urged the municipality to establish and supervise parking lots for trucks outside the city with a full range of services.
The department had also stated that its uniformed and undercover officers set up checkpoints regularly to ensure trucks comply with the ban. However, it also stated that it was difficult to monitor the city because of its many exit and entry points.
The department had reportedly approached the mayor’s office to provide space for impounded trucks.