Traffic police in Makkah ready for Umrah rush

Director of Makkah Traffic Police Col. Salman Al-Jamiei says his administration is ready for the Umrah season this year.
Al-Jamiei declared in an interview with Arab News that his administration has intensified its field efforts by deploying patrols in all neighborhoods and streets of Makkah.
Some of these patrols are located in the central zone surrounding the Grand Mosque, as well as in front of markets and malls where a large number of vehicles are usually parked illegally causing traffic jams. Digital cameras have also been installed to monitor street traffic of the holy city.
Al-Jamiei added that 18 check-points have been set up to monitor the entrance of trucks into the city. One of the main goals of this ongoing traffic campaign is to help reduce the congestion near the Grand Mosque.
Al-Jamiei warned that vehicles that do not respect the regulation will be fined and towed to the city impound lot.
As part of this new campaign, traffic authorities will now be able to fine speeding drivers through a new system of sophisticated cameras installed at key points in Aziziyah, Nouriyah, Koday, Rosaifa and Shauqiyah. On the Third Ring Road and other locations, installation work is still in progress.
''Our administration is monitoring and taking care of the cameras being installed in the city against vandals as they play a significant role in reducing accidents,” Al-Jaimei added, stressing that the system has reduced traffic infractions in the city by 70 percent.
On the topic of the municipality’s ban on trucks driving on city streets at peak hours, the director said the administration opened 18 new check-points across the city. “The strategy to stamp out traffic violations in Makkah is to strengthen road checks. As of last year, 7,583 traffic violations, including running the red light and wrong-way driving, were registered and during the first month of the current year, while 762 drivers were booked for traffic violations," he said.
Over 5,609 cases of car washing along highways were spotted by the traffic police and the department has seized 1,974 abandoned cars during the year." Inspection activities have been continuing around the clock” he said.
The officer's work is not over after he leaves the street. Agents in the so-called “Action Room” monitor each and every development on the roads around the Grand Mosque.