To end a nightmare

Traffic jams have, unfortunately, become a common sight in Amman, taxing motorists’ patience and skills not only during peak hours but at any time of the day, and much of the night.

Traffic congestion increases considerably during the summer as hundreds of thousands of expatriates, mostly from the Gulf region, flock to Jordan to spend their summer vacation.

Whether they come by their own cars or rent locally, the number is staggering and telling.

According to the Traffic Department, there are about 1.29 million cars in Jordan normally, a figure that in itself constitutes a crisis. When some 150,000 additional vehicles enter the country and compete for space on the streets, the crisis becomes that much more acute.

There is no immediate solution to the bumper-to-bumper traffic in Amman. Driving in the capital is bound to remain a nightmare until a thorough plan is adopted and implemented to solve the problem.

Part of the trouble lies in the fact that streets in Amman are not adequate for a capital city of about two million inhabitants.

The additions to or expansions of the existing road network are superficial remedies to a serious problem.

Moreover, driving habits leave a lot to be desired, and they are a major reason for the traffic jams.

Changing lanes at whim, blocking roads to “secure” an illegal U-turn or a parking slot, driving slowly on the left lane, busy talking on the phone with not a worry in the world and no respect for the fellow citizens and lack of courteous behaviour towards fellow motorists contribute to the mess on the roads.

But while the above can be changed through drastic monitoring by traffic officers, the lack of adequate infrastructure necessitates longer time and wise planning.

A decent, modern public transportation system — be it through buses, tramways, trolleybuses or, even better, though admittedly costlier, the underground — would work miracles for the traffic.

It would help citizens’ pockets, too, and also nature, chocked, like people, by the dust and noxious fumes from exhaust pipes.

Whatever it takes to improve the traffic situation in Amman must be done, and done as a matter of priority.

Now it is the expatriates and tourists. Soon it will be schools reopening. Then rain and snow. There is no end to the woes of motorists, and, as it is easy to see, to the temper of a nation already having to deal with many other serious problems.

Amman needs a master plan to solve its growing traffic crisis. There are no two ways about it and postponing dealing with the issue only makes it worse.