Amman gripped by traffic fears on Eid eve

AMMAN — Although Eid Al Fitr is considered peak time for most taxi drivers, Ahmad Zeioud is not very excited about the holiday season.

As Eid Al Fitr commences, many taxi drivers across Amman are wary about their work during the three-day public holiday.

"Many people believe that taxi drivers make good money during Eid because everyone is out visiting relatives. However, what they do not take into consideration is how bad the traffic jams are, and how much they impact business," he told The Jordan Times.

Scores of Jordanians interviewed by The Jordan Times complained that the traffic jams that occur across Amman during Ramadan are the most inconvenient aspect of the holy month, and that it makes them think twice before leaving the house.

Tariq Hamouri, a public sector employee, said that during Ramadan he is reluctant to leave the house because of the congestion on the roads.

“Once, I was stuck in a traffic jam for 40 minutes. It was really frustrating,” he added.

Hamouri’s solution to the problem is simple — taxi drivers in Amman should make more of an effort to learn the capital’s backstreets, so that they may avoid traffic jams and complete the journey as quickly as possible.

Ahmad Tamimi, a cleric, simply avoids visiting busy areas, such as Jabal Al Hussein and downtown Amman, during the final 10 days of Ramadan to ensure he does not get caught in any long delays.

"Whenever I went go during Ramadan, I try to avoid the peak hours and the busy, car-filled areas," he added.

Ghaith Jayosi had a different strategy for avoiding the Ramadan rush – he bought Eid clothes for his children before the beginning of Ramadan and has therefore largely missed the traffic jams that hit the capital shortly before the beginning of Eid.

"Everyone knows that Amman has terrible traffic during Ramadan, so this year I thought I would buy all the items we need to Eid before the holy month,” he told The Jordan Times.

Several theories circulate as to why the traffic in Amman is as bad as it is. Some believe it can be pinned on poor traffic etiquette in the capital, while others think the Kingdom’s booming population due to the influx of Syrian refugees is causing the congestion.

According to Zioud, it is because so many Jordanian drivers blatantly ignore the rules of the road that the traffic jams in Amman are so bad.

"If someone is driving too slowly, or driving badly it affects everyone behind them,” he complained.

Hamouri believes the phenomenon can be traced to the growing number of refugees residing in the capital, since most displaced Syrian refugee families based in Amman brought their cars with them from Syria.

Similarly, other Jordanians believe the number of people and cars brought to Jordan from the Gulf during the summer months has also contributed to the city’s congestion.

Earlier this week, a security official told The Jordan Times that the authorities are attempting to crackdown on the traffic in Amman by preventing vehicles with Syrian license plates from entering the Kingdom.

Director of Traffic Department's public relation team, Lt. Col. Muawiah Rababaa, believes that the Ramadan and Eid shopping season is one of the major causes of such bad traffic in the city.

"The Traffic Department mainly focuses on the busiest places such as mosques and entertainment venues during Ramadan to try and monitor the traffic," he told The Jordan Times over the phone on Wednesday.

He noted that traffic jams mainly take place on the first day of Eid near the mosques as many Muslims go to pray.

Rababaa added that the department has implemented the electronic control system, which monitors the streets for drivers who exceed the speed limit and violate traffic rules. 

"There are several cameras set up across Amman to spot over-speeding drivers. We are concerned about their safety more than anything," he said.

In another human gesture, the traffic department official said the department's personnel will distribute congratulatory Eid cards to motorists on the first day of the holiday.

"We want to further strength the bond between drivers and our personnel. All the traffic department employees across the Kingdom will distribute these cards on the street and roundabouts," he added.