Postponement of working hours result in traffic gridlock, say commuters

AMMAN — Commuters on Wednesday morning faced widespread traffic congestion in Amman, as a result of the work and school delays due to prevailing weather conditions. 

The Prime Ministry postponed the start of work hours Wednesday morning for all ministries, official departments, institutions, public universities, joint services councils, the Greater Amman Municipality and other municipalities, and government-owned companies until 10am on Wednesday and Thursday.

“Roads appear to be in good driving conditions. The weather is cold, but there was no need to delay working hours,” said Wafaa Manaseer, a working mother. 

She added that it took her over an hour and a half to get to work, which usually only takes around 20 minutes. 

Amman’s traffic problem is “getting worse”, she said, noting that she hardly moved in the first hour she spent in her car.

Mervat Mohammad, another daily commuter, told The Jordan Times that she was 45 minutes late to work. 

“The traffic jams today were catastrophic, but in the past five years roads have been super-jammed in Amman,” she said.