Traffic crisis in Homs: growing congestion; chaos threatens public safety

In recent years, Homs City has witnessed a steady decline in its traffic conditions, coinciding with a significant increase in the number of cars, motorcycles, and bicycles, while the existing infrastructure and road network remain incapable of accommodating this expansion.

Homs city is located in transportation hubs due its strategic location that interconnected many major provinces. This places additional pressure on its internal roads and further complicates daily traffic movement, especially in busy areas such as University Roundabout, al-Dablan Street, al-Hamidiyah, the Old Clock Square, and the New Clock Square, where traffic jams frequently occur during morning and evening rush hours.

 The traffic problem is not limited to congestion alone, but is also accompanied by other issues affecting public safety, most notably the spread of potholes and randomly placed speed bumps, the lack of regular road maintenance, and the malfunction or absence of traffic signals at several key intersections. Causing chaotic state and increased the likelihood of accidents.

Motorcycles also represent one of the city’s most significant traffic challenges due to their widespread use and often reckless driving behavior. In addition, some motorcycles operate without license plates or permits, which citizens and drivers consider a daily danger because of excessive speed and sudden maneuvering between vehicles.

At the same time, the use of bicycles has noticeably returned for transportation, work, and delivery purposes. However, the absence of designated lanes and the lack of clear regulations governing bicycle movement have increased friction between cyclists, cars, and pedestrians, leading to repeated accidents and further disruption of traffic flow.

Pedestrians, for their part, face major difficulties due to the absence of pedestrian bridges and tunnels and the limited number of safe crossings. Sidewalks are also sometimes occupied by street vendors or parked vehicles, forcing many pedestrians to walk on roads designated for cars, amid complaints about excessive speeding and some drivers’ failure to comply with traffic rules within neighborhoods and on main streets.

One citizen said that “crossing the street in some areas has become a daily adventure” because drivers often fail to respect pedestrian right-of-way, while traffic violations and driving against the direction of traffic in narrow streets have increased. Others expressed frustration over noise pollution caused by the constant use of horns and vehicle exhaust, considering that traffic chaos has begun to negatively affect public comfort and safety within residential neighborhoods.

In the public transportation sector, passengers and minibus drivers complain about long waiting times and congestion at departure points, in addition to the disorder caused by random stopping of some vehicles and occasional failure to adhere to designated routes or official fares amid weak oversight.

In this context, Mohammad al-Omar, a minibus driver, said that the city suffers from “clear traffic chaos,” noting that potholes and the widespread presence of motorcycles make movement more difficult and negatively impact public safety. He called for stricter traffic monitoring and firm enforcement of traffic laws.

ANHA