Rush hour ban on heavy vehicles ‘may be in place’

Heavy vehicles might be banned from the Kingdom’s roads during rush hours if a parliamentary proposal is approved, Tribune has learnt.

This comes as the proposal recently received a nod from the General Directorate for Traffic within the Interior Ministry, as well as the Foreign Affairs, Defence and National Security Committee in the Council of Representatives.

The proposal stipulates banning all heavy vehicles from being driven on all roads during rush hours, which are divided onto two periods; from 6:30 am to 8:00 am, and from 2:00 pm to 3:00 pm.

The directorate mentioned in its reply to the proposal, which was submitted by the Committee Head MP Mohammed Al Sisi, is in line with the decision of the Supreme Council for Traffic, aiming to reduce the chances of traffic congestion on the main roads and streets of the Kingdom.

The directorate added that it will also contribute to the smooth flow of traffic, maintaining the safety of commuters and reducing traffic accidents that may be caused by heavy vehicles.

The proposal will be reviewed and voted on by the Council of Representatives during one of its upcoming weekly meetings, before it could be referred to the second branch of the second branch of the Kingdom’s Legislative Authority for further studying and approval.     

Tribune recently reported that fatal accidents involving heavy vehicles have been on the rise lately. Frequent calls were made by citizens and residents, demanding to curb the movement of heavy vehicles on highways and to ban them during rush hours, considering the increasing numbers of fatal accidents involving such vehicles.

Fatal accidents formed seven per cent of the total accidents that occurred in August last year, in accordance to the latest statistics released by the General Directorate of Traffic.