Traffic in Riyadh

gonzrule wrote:

Hi Guys,

I just want to know. How bad is traffic in Riyadh? Any estimated figure would give me a clear picture.

I am not quite sure what "estimated figure" you are asking for.  Traffic in Riyadh, especially along major streets - Olaya, King Fahad, Tahlia,  etc can be very very bad - depending on the time of day.  Certainly at 0300 you can breeze from one side of town to the other in about 15 minutes.

At least for the next one more week the traffic will be comparatively less due to school holidays. The morning rush hour madness has seen some ease starting yesterday.

houstonian wrote:

gonzrule wrote:

Hi Guys,

I just want to know. How bad is traffic in Riyadh? Any estimated figure would give me a clear picture.

I am not quite sure what "estimated figure" you are asking for.  Traffic in Riyadh, especially along major streets - Olaya, King Fahad, Tahlia,  etc can be very very bad - depending on the time of day.  Certainly at 0300 you can breeze from one side of town to the other in about 15 minutes.

That's the kind of estimate I need. But if traffic really gets bad, how much  Oxygen do I need to breathe first before I can make it to the other side of town? :-)

HRguru, many thanks.

It takes a min of 30-45 mins these days in Ryd to get from one end to another, and this is if traffic is moderate. If there are some accidents or idiots on the way then you can add another hour more on that.

HRGuru wrote:

It takes a min of 30-45 mins these days in Ryd to get from one end to another, and this is if traffic is moderate. If there are some accidents or idiots on the way then you can add another hour more on that.

OK - I have to say this comment made me smile.  Suffice it to say that you need to add another hour or so to account for the crzies that are out there. 

That is all I needed to know. Thank you both and have a great day! Don't let the crazies get you or you'll spend more hours under the heat of the sun as I did. :-)

Just want to advise that you should ask someone how to pass to your destination, because if you're planning to use the GPS it will take you through the main roads, which is bad, you can take some alternatives which will save your time

As I am not familiar of the place, I won't be bringing along my own car. I'll settle with taxi rides for now. Thanks for the advice.

Anyway, now that you mentioned about GPS, does the GPS system provide accurate direction in Riyadh?

Yes, GPS is very accurate in Riyadh, but unfortunately you might face some issues in some roads because of temporary road modifications but it will not affect you too much.

I appreciate your help. Cheers!