خلال سفري إلى مدينة الخبر لحضور ورشة عمل، اقتنصت ساعتين لزيارة البحرين، وقد شجعني على ذلك سلاسة إجراءات العبور وضعف حركة المسافرين بسبب التوقيت الذي صادف وقت الدوام والاختبارات المدرسية، فلم يستغرق العبور سوى 10 دقائق في الذهاب و11 دقيقة في العودة !
في الحقيقة، لم يكن التوقيت وحده سبباً في سلاسة الذهاب والعودة، بل إن تطوير إجراءات العبور واستخدام التقنية، سواء عبر الاستفادة من الخدمات الإلكترونية لتطبيق الجسر أو عبر الإجراءات المبسطة في نقاط العبور، شكّلا عاملاً مضافاً. فقد اختصرت البوابات الإلكترونية وتأمين المركبات مسبقة الدفع الكثير من الوقت، كما ساهم تصميم مسارات الجوازات بشكل فعّال في رفع الاستيعاب وكفاءة الأداء، ناهيك عن بشاشة موظفي الجوازات والجمارك في كلا الجانبين !
كما أن تخصيص مسار سريع بالحجز المسبق مقابل مبلغ مادي ضمن توسعة المساحة الحالية، كان خطوة استثمارية جيدة تلبي احتياجات بعض المسافرين المستعجلين في أوقات الذروة والازدحام، دون أن تؤثر على عدد المسارات المخصصة للعبور العادي !
الملاحظ أن التوقف عند موظف الجوازات لم يعد يستغرق وقتاً طويلاً، فبمجرد تمرير بطاقة الهوية الوطنية على الجهاز تُنجز عملية الدخول أو الخروج، وهذا دليل على تطور استخدام التقنية وكفاءة التدريب عليها. ولا أستبعد مستقبلاً تطبيق آليات إنهاء الإجراءات ذاتياً كما هو الحال في المطارات السعودية، بحيث يُنجز المسافرون إجراءات الدخول بأنفسهم، ويتم التدقيق على صحة البيانات وعدد المسافرين في نقاط العبور النهائية، حيث تسلم ورقة الجوازات والجمارك !
ومع مشروع التوسعة المزمع تنفيذه، تبدو لي جزيرة الجسر منطقة تطوير لا تهدأ، تهدف إلى تقليص وقت العبور واختصار نقاط الإجراءات، وستكون إضافة السوق الحرة خطوة ممتازة لكلا الجانبين، وإن كانت تواجه تحديات تتعلق بمحدودية المساحة وتأثيرها على سلاسة الحركة !
باختصار.. لا يمكن الحديث عن التطوير في جسر الملك فهد دون شكر مدير عام الجسر، الأستاذ يوسف العبدان، فللرجل بصمة حلول ونجاح في كل موقع عمل فيه، بدءاً من مطار الملك خالد، وانتهاء بجسر الملك فهد !
تابع قناة عكاظ على الواتساب
During my trip to the city of Khobar to attend a workshop, I seized two hours to visit Bahrain. I was encouraged by the smooth crossing procedures and the low volume of travelers due to the timing coinciding with work hours and school exams, as the crossing took only 10 minutes on the way there and 11 minutes on the way back!
In fact, it wasn't just the timing that contributed to the smoothness of the trip; the development of crossing procedures and the use of technology, whether through the electronic services of the bridge application or the simplified procedures at the crossing points, played an additional role. The electronic gates and prepaid vehicle security saved a lot of time, and the design of the passport lanes effectively increased capacity and performance efficiency, not to mention the friendliness of the passport and customs staff on both sides!
Moreover, the allocation of a fast track with a prior reservation for a fee within the expansion of the current area was a good investment step that meets the needs of some urgent travelers during peak times and congestion, without affecting the number of lanes designated for regular crossing!
It is noticeable that stopping at the passport officer no longer takes a long time; as soon as the national ID card is scanned, the entry or exit process is completed. This is evidence of the advancement in technology use and the efficiency of training on it. I wouldn't be surprised if, in the future, self-service procedures are implemented as is the case in Saudi airports, allowing travelers to complete their own entry procedures, with verification of data accuracy and the number of travelers at the final crossing points, where they receive the customs and passport paper!
With the planned expansion project, the bridge island seems to me to be a constantly developing area aimed at reducing crossing time and streamlining procedures. The addition of the duty-free market will be an excellent step for both sides, even though it faces challenges related to limited space and its impact on the smooth flow of movement!
In short, one cannot talk about the development of the King Fahd Bridge without thanking the General Manager of the bridge, Mr. Youssef Al-Abdan, as the man has left a mark of solutions and success in every position he has worked in, starting from King Khalid Airport and ending at the King Fahd Bridge!
In fact, it wasn't just the timing that contributed to the smoothness of the trip; the development of crossing procedures and the use of technology, whether through the electronic services of the bridge application or the simplified procedures at the crossing points, played an additional role. The electronic gates and prepaid vehicle security saved a lot of time, and the design of the passport lanes effectively increased capacity and performance efficiency, not to mention the friendliness of the passport and customs staff on both sides!
Moreover, the allocation of a fast track with a prior reservation for a fee within the expansion of the current area was a good investment step that meets the needs of some urgent travelers during peak times and congestion, without affecting the number of lanes designated for regular crossing!
It is noticeable that stopping at the passport officer no longer takes a long time; as soon as the national ID card is scanned, the entry or exit process is completed. This is evidence of the advancement in technology use and the efficiency of training on it. I wouldn't be surprised if, in the future, self-service procedures are implemented as is the case in Saudi airports, allowing travelers to complete their own entry procedures, with verification of data accuracy and the number of travelers at the final crossing points, where they receive the customs and passport paper!
With the planned expansion project, the bridge island seems to me to be a constantly developing area aimed at reducing crossing time and streamlining procedures. The addition of the duty-free market will be an excellent step for both sides, even though it faces challenges related to limited space and its impact on the smooth flow of movement!
In short, one cannot talk about the development of the King Fahd Bridge without thanking the General Manager of the bridge, Mr. Youssef Al-Abdan, as the man has left a mark of solutions and success in every position he has worked in, starting from King Khalid Airport and ending at the King Fahd Bridge!
