"We distribute about 15 million litres (almost four million gallons) of gasoline daily across the country, including seven million in Baghdad," oil ministry spokesman Assem Jihad says.

"Engines are idle for hours because of congestion, leading to huge and unproductive use of fuel," Jihad tells AFP.

Every day, the 1.5 million motorists in Baghdad spend 2.68 million dollars on gasoline. According to one expert, about 40 percent of this, or more than one million dollars, is consumed in traffic snarls.

"I left my house in Azamiyah at 7:00 am to drop off my first wife in Bab Sharqi. I got stuck in traffic jams for a total of five hours. I even snoozed. I arrived at work in Mansur at noon," says a furious Assad Jamil, a 27-year-old computer engineer.

"Blame it on the checkpoints and police patrols for blocking roads without worrying about our suffering. In addition, I filled the tank yesterday and I'll have to do it again today or tomorrow," he says.

After coordinated bomb attacks on December 8 killed 127 people and Baghdad's security chief was forced to stand down, his successor decided to put up more barriers.

Before the security clampdown, it took Assad Jamil about 50 minutes to travel the triangle from his home in the north to the home of his parents in the centre and to his workplace in the west.

The time has doubled because of the gridlock, and he now arrives home at around 8:00 pm.

Haidar Hussein, 38, says: "I drive my taxi every day from 8:00 am to 5:00 pm, but I lose half my time in traffic."

This "means that of about 60 litres (16 gallons), I use half, or 13,500 dinars (12 dollars) while standing still," says Hussein, who drives an old Japanese-made car.

But the hundreds of deaths from bombings in August, October and December have forced Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to back down from a policy of easing traffic restrictions.

The Iraqi leader is again blocking roads with concrete blast walls, soon after workers began bringing them down based on his orders to get rid of all the security structures by the end of the year.

Nonetheless, many residents remain sceptical about the effectiveness of the checkpoints.

"If there were any purpose to it, then we could put up with it, but attacks are continuing and Iraqis continue to die," says Hussein Alwan, a 43-year-old former soldier who drives an illegal taxi, which is blocked in Salhiyah.

This district is the target of most attacks because of its many official buildings, and the number of checkpoints has increased from two to eight in recent days, including six where police scan cars.

The security official in charge of the Al-Kholani checkpoint in the city centre acknowledges the challenges but also highlights the "significant" number of cars.

"Improved security and fewer cars are the best ways to improve traffic," says the official, who asked to remain nameless.

An officer on duty at Salhiyah had other ideas.

"The controls are essential for safety, so the government should buy buses to transport its employees. Instead of searching 15 cars, it would suffice to inspect a bus," says the officer, also requesting anonymity.

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