Evaluation of motorist services on Saudi Arabian motorways

Abstract

Road development in Saudi Arabia is considered one of the major products of the social and economic development that the country has witnessed in the last two decades. In the last decade, motorways were built to connect major population centres in the Kingdom using high international standards (Figure 1.1). However, the motorway service areas which took place along these motorways sides were incompatible with the motorway system. This disparity in standards between the motorways and the motorway services is related to the planning, design, development, and facilities outcome in these service areas in contrast to similar services provided in more developed countries. Many factors have definitely contributed to the formation of the existing services, because they were the outcome of a set of planning and development procedures which involves different interests from different contributors such as the governmental controlling authorities, the operators of the service areas, and the users themselves.