Amman municipality working out ‘traffic solutions’ to mitigate congestion

AMMAN — The Greater Amman Municipality (GAM) has started implementing what officials describe as “traffic solutions” to curb gridlocks in the capital.

Ayman Smadi, executive director of the transport and traffic department at GAM, said on Monday that the municipality has started installing traffic lights in different locations in the capital. 

“We set up three traffic lights on Al al Bayt, Al Shaab and Wasfi Al Tal streets and around 12 traffic lights will be installed this year,” he told The Jordan Times over the phone. 

The municipality official said Amman is expected to receive a great number of visitors this summer, and GAM is planning several projects to mitigate congestion with the increase in traffic.

“We hope to work on many of Amman’s streets, as the number of people, mainly from Gulf Arab countries, heading to the capital is expected to increase, especially with the situation in neighbouring countries,” Smadi added. 

He noted that projects will target the areas that witness the most traffic jams, such as Sweileh, Istiqlal Street, the Interior Ministry Circle and Shmeisani.

Visitors and Jordanian expatriates from Saudi Arabia have started coming to Jordan as the annual 10-day spring holiday in the Gulf kingdom continues through March 19.

An official at the Jordan Customs Department (JCD) told The Jordan Times in previous remarks that the agency is ready to receive “thousands” of vacationers coming from Saudi Arabia through the border crossings of Omari and Mudawarah.

The official, who requested anonymity, said hundreds of cars usually cross into Jordan from Saudi Arabia at this time of the year.

According to JCD figures, 195,226 cars entered Jordan from Saudi Arabia in June and July of last year through the Omari and Mudawarah border crossings.