Trying to tackle Ramses
Ramses Square has been chaotic for as long as most people can remember. Last week it suddenly became traffic-free. Will the calm last, wonders Reem Nafie
Last Thursday, the masses of people that travel through Ramses Square in vehicles or on foot were shocked to find the square completely devoid of the chaos that usually defines it. The vendors and microbuses that used to take up a great deal of the square's street space were gone, and dozens of traffic officers were lined up everywhere in the vicinity.
Several essential changes had taken place: Cairo Governorate had decided to move the informal microbus stop in front of the 6 October bridge on- ramp and the city's main train station a few blocks away, to Ahmed Helmi Street. Police had also been deployed en masse to stop the vendors of everything from combs and magazines, to underwear and clocks, from setting up their makeshift shop tables in the same place. An intricate system of fences and blockades had also been erected to direct and control the never-ending stream of pedestrian traffic that flows through the square.
These "drastic" measures, Cairo Deputy Governor Mahmoud Yassin told the Weekly, aimed to "restore the old square's heritage and reduce the traffic congestion caused by the microbus stop and the street vendors." Commuters approaching the square from Ghamra, Abbasiya, Nasr City or Heliopolis definitely noticed the change -- other than the massive police presence, the square seemed virtually empty. Getting to Galaa Street was a relative breeze.
The plan was not without hitches, however. When a great many microbuses failed to comply with the new rules -- continuing to park in the square as they awaited customers -- the governorate jacked up the number of policemen to make sure the rules were enforced. Meanwhile, not all the microbuses made the move to Ahmed Helmi, confusing customers who had heard that this would be their new stop. Trying to resolve the matter, Cairo Governor Abdel-Rehim Shehata declared a minimum LE150 fine for any microbus that did not comply with the new rules.
Over the next few days, the square's traffic levels seemed to be entirely dependent on the number of policemen patrolling the area. Microbuses still seemed desperate to drop off and pick up customers in Ramses, and continued to do so if they though they could get away with it.
As a result, many people feared that when patrolling the square ceased to be a top priority for the governorate, all its old problems would return. Yassin disagreed, saying it was only natural that a major change would take some getting used to. The microbuses would soon become more comfortable with their new stop, he said, and stop trying to use the old one.
Several microbus drivers who spoke to Al Ahram Weekly said that Ramses Square would always be a place to pick up passengers -- even if everyone knows where the new stop is. "The train station makes it prime microbus territory," said driver Hosny Abd-Rabbou. Microbus driver Ahmed Hassan said that if he saw a passenger waiting in the square and there were no police officers in sight, he would stop to pick him or her up. "How can I see a passenger and not stop?" he asked.
Controlling the square's pedestrian traffic has also been difficult, with many people unwilling to use the areas designated for them. "It's such a hassle to go up the stairs, walk across the bridge, and go down again," said Mohamed Abdel-Hamid about the long pedestrian bridge above the square. "It's easier to just cross the street."
Ahmed Fahim, who heads the area's traffic police unit, told the Weekly that "pedestrians must use the designated crossings, but many find it difficult, especially those who are older. We are trying to control them, but it's difficult to keep an eye on both them and the microbuses."
At Ahmed Helmi Street, meanwhile, many of the problems that used to plague Ramses seemed to have begun taking root. Most of the street vendors who were removed from Ramses have placed their wares on the pedestrian crossing area near the station, thus forcing pedestrians to use the already crowded Ahmed Helmi Street. According to Fathi El-Sayed, a traffic policeman stationed at Ahmed Helmi, "the sidewalks are currently being reconstructed to help resolve this situation." There are fears, however, that even then, the vendors will take over the sidewalks, forcing pedestrians to use the street itself. "I thought the sidewalk would be for us to walk on, not for the vendors to use," said Safiya Fawzi, who was waiting for a microbus. The most likely scenario is that the same cat and mouse game that used to take place in Ramses, whereby the vendors set up shop until they are chased away by the governorate, will take place here as well.
At the stop itself, meanwhile, the governorate has introduced a relatively new concept to the public transportation scene. Speakers have been installed, and bus arrivals and departures are now announced. Measures like these will result in "people liking this stop better than the old one," an optimistic El-Sayed said.
At least one passenger seemed to agree. Nahla Said told the Weekly that the "new stop is a great idea, and as soon as people get used to it, all the chaos in Ramses Square will end." Officials agreed with that point of view, saying it would merely be "a matter of time" before calm was restored.
