14 - 20 December 2000
Issue No.512
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 14 - 20 December 2000 Issue No.512 |
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 | Current issue | Previous issue | Site map | ||
TRAFFIC CHAOS: The first week of Ramadan was accompanied by a torrential downpour, meaning that driving in Cairo became a particularly nightmarish experience, reports Dena Rashed. Millions of pious Muslims attempt to reach home each day during the holy month in time for iftar -- the fast-breaking meal -- at sunset. When the rain factor is added -- as it was last Friday -- to the customary rush-hour chaos, the results are easily predictable, long queues of cars vying for space, jumping across lanes and trying to outmanoeuvre each other.
Many people making their way to the homes of friends or relatives for iftar last Friday were caught in an especially awful downpour for up to three hours. They had no choice but to break their fast on the street, next to the huge puddles of rain water.
The problem was compounded by motorists who, in their attempt to escape the gridlock via side streets, drove with even greater disrespect for the traffic laws than they usually would. They violated red light signals and encroached on sidewalks.
The capital's streets were never under normal circumstances designed to accommodate the 2.75 million vehicles that presently use them, some one third of all vehicles nationwide.
"Another problem is that six or seven highways pour into Cairo. People travelling from Alexandria in the north to Suez City in the east have to pass through the capital, further congesting already crowded streets," said Tarek Youssri, a professor of traffic and transport at Cairo University.
"It is not all about how roads are designed," Sherif Gomaa, head of the Giza traffic department, countered. "It is mostly about people's driving manners and their disrespect for traffic regulations."
Traffic statistics show that 5,000 people are killed and 170,000 are injured in car accidents annually in the capital. Human error, whether by drivers or pedestrians, accounts for 85 per cent of accidents.
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