Traffic congestion is intense at points where exit roads merge with lanes.

To cope with heavy traffic on the roads during the holidays, authorities have increased the number of officers on the streets, as well as equipment, including patrol cars.

More than 300 unmarked patrol teams have been deployed to detect traffic violations and ease congestion on roads where visitors and tourists crowd during the break.

“The administration has made necessary plans and programs and recruited the required number of officers and deployed equipment to cope with the expected heavy traffic on all major roads and streets during the holidays,” Maj. Gen. Wasl Al-Harbi, chief of Jeddah traffic police, told Arab News.

Those neighborhoods include North Corniche, North Obhur, Tahlia Street and roads close to major malls in addition to the historic Al-Balad district.

Traffic police have also been posted on the roads leading to the corniche such as King Abdul Aziz Street, Andalus Street, Prince Muhammad bin Abdul Aziz Street, Madinah Road, Hera Street and Sari Street, said Al-Harbi.

Police have intensified traffic monitoring in areas where there are major commercial centers, mostly located on main streets where there is hardly any parking space available, the officer explained.

Al-Harbi called on visitors not to randomly park in the street if they can’t find a parking place at a mall, but rather go to another shopping center and try to find a spot there.

In order to prevent traffic jams, authorities have allocated special buses for visitors, to take them from the parking lots to festival locations. One of the biggest concerns for authorities during the holidays, Al-Harbi added, is the numerous road projects on the city’s main roads. To thwart possible bottlenecks, strategically placed police patrols will help drivers take the right detours to avoid being stuck in traffic.
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To further provide a smooth traffic experience this holidays, authorities have also deployed support teams at King Abdul Aziz International Airport to help traffic police there. Additional patrols are also monitoring traffic on the expressways leading to Makkah and Madinah.
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Traffic authorities have called on visitors to abide by the law, including speed limit, while other provisions have been set up to ease traffic flow during the peak hours, like adjusting the duration of traffic lights and setting up road signs.

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