Saudi Arabia considers changing school timings to ease traffic in Riyadh

Dubai: The Saudi General Traffic Department has announced that it is considering changing school and university timings and encouraging more “remote” work in some government entities to ease the traffic in Riyadh, local media reported.

According to Mansour Al Shakra, the Department’s spokesman, the Traffic and Proposed Operational Solutions workshop was held yesterday (Sunday) discussed the challenges of traffic density on Riyadh roads.

Al Shakra said the workshop would make recommendations to raise traffic safety and ensure the smooth flow of traffic on the roads.

Changing the timing of some schools and universities, building an operational model for roads, reexamining the functioning of traffic signals, and promoting the option of working remotely for various businesses, institutions, and governmental organisations are some of the workshop’s most important pillars discussed.

Recent government estimates indicate that 16 million trips are made on the city’s highways each day. Over 89 per cent of daily trips are made by private vehicles, compared to just 2 per cent by public transportation.

By 2030, the government hopes to double Riyadh’s current population of about 7.5 million people to close to 15 million.