The Jeddah Traffic Department removed over 6,000 damaged and abandoned vehicles from various parts of Jeddah city last year to ensure that they do not obstruct traffic or encourage crime.

Revealing this, spokesman of Jeddah Province Traffic Department Col. Zaid Al-Hamzi said the department, in close collaboration with the Secretariat of Jeddah, was continuously striving to rid neighborhoods and streets of all damaged and abandoned vehicles.

A committee comprising representatives of Jeddah Municipality, Jeddah Police, and the Traffic Department, has been formed to conduct patrol rounds of the city’s neighborhoods, explained Al-Hamzi. Vehicles are marked with stickers and their owners are given a one-month deadline to remove the vehicle, he said.

Subsequently, vehicles which had been put through this drill will be removed and sold by the Secretariat of Jeddah following a signed authorization by the committee, and the owner will receive the remaining amount after deduction of costs and penalties, he said.

Despite these measures, several residents of Jeddah, speaking to Arab News, voiced concern over the continued presence of damaged and abandoned vehicles in residential neighborhoods. They say their security besides environmental risks were at stake. These vehicles, they say, attract criminals who steal these cars or their licence plates to commit crimes.

Metaab Al-Zahrani, a resident of Jeddah, complained that these old and damaged cars have marred the beauty of Jeddah’s streets. He called on the owners of these cars to remove them immediately from the streets, and dispose them to help maintain the level of cleanliness and proper public image of Jeddah, especially since the city serves as a gateway to Makkah and Madinah for millions of Muslims throughout the year.

Al-Zahrani said the presence of these damaged cars constitutes a major threat to society, particularly as their license plates can be used and tampered with by criminals who use them to sell drugs and other illegal substances.

Maher Al-Qurashi, another resident, said some of these cars have been parked for years, often occupying parking slots and preventing others from using them. He called on the Municipality of Jeddah and the Traffic Department to consider this issue as priority, and work toward removing these vehicles to minimize security and environmental risks caused by them.

Al-Qurashi said the damaged cars are usually found in front of auto repair shops and in popular neighborhoods, and sometimes are even tampered with by children who burn them or turn them into trash.

Salem Al-Hadeli alleged that authorities like the Traffic Department and the Secretariat of Jeddah do not discharge their duties properly when it comes to this issue. He also called on car owners to remove their damaged cars parked in front of residential homes, as they have become a serious threat to their families.