Traffic chaos in Bahrain draining charm out of lives
TDT | Manama
The Daily Tribune – www.newsofbahrain.com
Report by Julia Cassano
Getting stuck in a car for hours and being unable to reach the destination on time despite starting way too early is a familiar scenario for road users around the world.
Bahrain is no exception in this regard, despite the government's efforts to expand and improve the road network with flyovers to accommodate increased traffic.
Commuters here confirm that traffic chaos is draining the charm out of their lives as they are under constant stress when out on the roads.
According to them, the traffic situation has worsened over time, and they explained how annoyed they are at having to wake up earlier each day to drop children off at school and be at the office on time.
One commuter in Budaiya reports having to wake up 30 to 40 minutes earlier to reach work and drop children off at school on time due to the increasingly congested Budaiya Road.
"The traffic on Budaiya Road has become increasingly worse and congested," he points out.
Several others said they have resorted to taking alternate routes and backstreets to avoid traffic, but all of them told us in unison that without government intervention and proper solutions, this problem will likely persist.
One frustrated individual mentioned that the same trip from Budaiya to Juffair used to take only 20 minutes but now takes 45 to 60 minutes due to traffic congestion.
The blame, however, lies with the tremendous number of new vehicles rolling out onto the roads each year.
According to the eGovernment Authority, Bahrain saw over 26,000 new cars hit the roads, increasing traffic congestion.
Reports suggest that this trend is not going to end any time soon, especially as Bahrain's population is projected to double by 2030, driven by immigration and growth in the expat workforce.
People say there is an urgent need for effective policies and strategies to adapt to this situation before it spirals out of control.
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