JABAR EKSPRES – Roads leading to the Masjidil Haram in the city of Mecca, Saudi Arabia, are increasingly congested ahead of the peak of the 1444 Hijri Hajj pilgrimage.
“We apologize if the buses approaching hotels and bus stops to the Masjidil Haram are delayed, because the roads are congested before dusk and Isha,” said Head of the Transportation Section of the Hajj Pilgrimage Organizing Committee (PPIH) Mecca Region Asep Subhana in Mecca City, Sunday.
Asep said, local government authorities block and close certain parts of the road every time they approach the peak of the hajj pilgrimage, when pilgrims from various countries flock to Mecca City.
The closure and blocking of road sections, he continued, caused traffic congestion in a number of areas.
Asep gave an example, the tunnel lane towards Syieb Amir was completely jammed because there was a roadblock for buses and private vehicles.
In such conditions, according to him, if the prayer bus provided for Indonesian pilgrims cannot enter the special lane, the bus cannot enter the Syieb Amir terminal and must turn around.
“We just follow the traffic engineering strategy, because we are users,” Asep said.
He said that pilgrims from various countries, including from Indonesia, can use bus services that pass through the Mahbas Jin-Terminal Bir Ali route.
“This is indeed an obstacle for Indonesian pilgrims, (because) they have small bodies and many elderly people,” Asep said.
Asep also explained that the PPIH Saudi Arabia had sent a letter to the bus service provider company regarding the shalawat bus drivers who picked up pilgrims other than from Indonesia.
In fact, the shalawat buses are specifically provided to take Indonesian pilgrims from the inn to the Masjidil Haram and vice versa.
