Libyan businessman Rasheed Sawen stated, “Dear citizen, one liter of gasoline costs you 60 dirhams.”
He explained that those who believe they are buying gasoline for 15 dirhams per liter at the pump are mistaken. Here’s a simple example: If you take a trip from Gargaresh to Bin Ashour, approximately 10 kilometers, it would typically take 10-15 minutes, and your car’s fuel consumption at 10 liters per 100 kilometers would amount to one liter, costing you 15 dirhams.
However, if you make the same trip during rush hour on a workday, the journey might take 1.5 hours—six times longer. With stop-and-go traffic, braking, and idling, fuel consumption increases to 20-25 liters per 100 kilometers. As a result, your 10-kilometer trip could consume up to six times the fuel, costing you 60 dirhams instead of the expected 15 dirhams.
Sawen emphasized that fuel consumption is tied not just to distance but also to time spent in traffic. In congested conditions, fuel costs multiply, and that’s not all—you also waste time, wear out your car’s brakes and engine, and increase maintenance costs. A trip that should take 15 minutes turns into 1.5 hours, with added physical and mental stress, such as back pain from prolonged sitting and anxiety from traffic.
Socially and environmentally, he highlighted the negative impacts of traffic: lost time, increased accidents, delayed commitments, and wasted productivity. What should be a short drive turns into hours behind the wheel, with drivers unknowingly paying 60 dirhams per liter in real terms.
He concluded, “We must understand the true cost of things, not just their price. Leisure has turned into sitting behind the wheel, wasting time, and creating unnecessary congestion.”
