Horns to keep honking
Not everybody is pleased with the latest attempt to improve traffic. Reem Leila reports on bottlenecks and possible cures
Three weeks ago, a major section of one of Cairo's main roads became the site of a traffic improvement scheme. The result is that the 26th July Corridor, as the 26-kilometre expressway between Lebanon Square and the beginning of Sixth of October is known, has become even more crowded than normal as bumper-to-bumper vehicles engage in a fierce battle for space with buzzing hydraulic drills and huge cranes providing the background music. The plan, which includes the construction of one extra lane and renovating roads in both directions, will cost LE13 million. It is meant to streamline traffic to and from the surrounding districts of Sixth of October, Lebanon Square, the Pyramids and Cairo- Alex desert roads -- all within the Giza governorate -- and to make sure that the area's main route remains free of obstacles that block traffic. The corridor will return to its full capacity after not less than six months. Until then, people will continue getting stuck in traffic jams in the area and several neighbouring districts.
With a population of almost 72 million, traffic in Egypt is by nature a major issue and a big headache, particularly in a city as big as Cairo. Egypt's capital is the largest city in Africa and home to at least 18 million people. The 26th of July Corridor is of paramount importance because it carries all the traffic coming into the city from Alexandria, Sixth of October City, and the Oases," explained Mohamed Yassin, deputy to Giza Governor Fathi Saad. "So, based on the infrastructure in the area, we decided to streamline the traffic on this main artery by constructing a new lane and amending the whole corridor after receiving several complaints and following hundreds of accidents which occur on it every month." Yassin said that within the next few days, two major routes are to be built in order to streamline traffic in Giza and help alleviate pressure on the 26th of July Corridor. The first route, almost four kilometres long, will start at Tharwat Bridge at Bein Al-Sarayat, passing by Saft Al-Laban, until the 26th of July ring road. The second corridor will pass over Marutiya Lake and will be connected to the western arch of the ring road at a length of five kilometres and a width of three lanes in either direction. This is in addition to a tunnel to be built at Al-Remayah Square connecting the west arch of the 26th July Corridor and the Cairo-Desert Road to the new Grand Egyptian Museum, the Moneib ring road, the Pyramids and the as yet built Marutiya Corridor. Construction, which will be implemented by three major construction companies at a cost of more than LE900 million, is supervised by the Giza Governorate and Ministry of Housing, Utilities and Urban Communities (MHUUC). Construction is due to be completed by February 2009.
The World Bank estimates an urbanisation level of 70 per cent by the year 2020. Traffic congestion, high reliance on road transport, and traffic safety are key issues facing Egypt in urban transport. Cairo experiences average traffic speeds of less than 10km per hour, which continues to fall with the increase in the number of cars on the roads. According to a report issued by the World Bank in late 2006, dependence on public transportation is less than 65 per cent. "Traffic in Cairo is absolutely chaotic," said Mohamed Abdel-Hamid, loan department manager of an international bank in Egypt, who suffers the daily commute from Heliopolis to 6th of October City. "If your are ever tempted to drive in Egypt, take a rest until you get over it.
"Watching traffic and the no-holds-barred driving, one expects an accident every five minutes. Yet mysteriously, even chaos has its own rules," Abdel-Hamid added.
Over the past decade, the government has poured LE37 billion into infrastructure construction, almost half of which went into the roads network with a goal towards relieving the city's chronic traffic congestion. Traffic, nonetheless, has seemingly gone from bad to worse, as roads remain unable to cope with the three million vehicles using them.
According to Sayed Abdel-Aziz, chairman of the MHUUC Central Construction Agency, there is a comprehensive plan on the table as to how to streamline traffic. Conditions will start to improve after one year, Abdel-Aziz said. "People must be patient, until construction of the bridges comes to an end. This will alleviate much of the pressure." Hisham Fouad, the official representative of the General Authority on Roads and Bridges at the National Council for Road Safety (NCRS), said the constant problem of traffic jams in Cairo has been tiring experts and specialists. "Traffic is not the responsibility of just one ministry but other authorities as well," Fouad said. "Coordinated action is a key to permanent solutions."
Solutions can be found using information and communications technologies (ICTs). "To the surprise of many, technological solutions and applications can effectively cut down this problem via good use of databases and instant information. Specialists and those in charge must come together to draw an outline for the path down which ICTs and transport can productively merge," added Fouad.
Al-Ahram Weekly Online : Located at: http://weekly.ahram.org.eg/2007/855/eg4.htm