Public transportation in Cairo is certainly challenging for locals and foreigners alike. Indeed, the challenge has become bigger since the revolution. Microbuses are out of the question for many commuters; their drivers drive recklessly and with impunity, as a result of which they and their passengers often come to grief. The Metro is fast, efficient and inexpensive, but it's not the whole solution. Preparing to meet her fiancé at a restaurant in downtown Cairo, Salma was nicely dressed and smelt of her favourite fragrance. She picked up her handbag and kissed her mother, who wished her all the best. Salma lives in Doqqi, a district in Giza. She usually uses taxis because they are a safe means of transport. But it took her an hour to reach the restaurant because of all the traffic. She was stuck in the traffic for a long time, next to dozens of microbuses and buses spewing out exhaust fumes. Salma was about to lose her patience. At last, she arrived at the restaurant where her fiancé was waiting for her. But she felt tired and was in a very bad mood. Millions of people like Salma suffer because the streets of the Egyptian capital are so crowded, full of microbuses, buses, cars, motorcycles and tok-toks. These vehicles also double-park, while what makes it worse is that pedestrians have to walk in the street because the pavements are full of obstacles, such as the goods displayed by the shop owners. Another problem is the street vendors, who are like a cancer, compounding the traffic congestion. The streets are often crowded from dawn to dusk and even late at night. This chaos has been worse since the January 25 Revolution, especially as the police abandoned the streets nationwide on January 28, following deadly clashes with demonstrators. “The police are coming back, but they haven't returned to full capacity,” said Azza Siam, a professor of sociology at Benha University. "Most Egyptians, unfortunately, espouse the ‘culture of circumvention'. They like to do whatever they want without taking other people into consideration," she told the Mail. Siam pointed out that the chaos has been increasing after the revolt, because of the security vacuum. “The people now view the Traffic Police differently. You can see cars ignoring the traffic signals and they don't care at all how this might affect other drivers,” she said. “Many motorists also drive the wrong way down one-way streets. This often leads to fights with angry motorists and also causes accidents," she added. Siam believes that the solution is for the new Traffic Law to be "firmly and mercilessly enforced". The new Traffic Law was issued in August 2008, with the purpose of easing the chronic congestion. In Egypt, more than 4.1 million cars jostle for space on poorly planned roads, with drivers openly flouting the rules. When the law first came into effect, there was an unprecedented crackdown on violations. The Government at the time flexed its ‘motoring muscles', with police issuing fines to thousands of errant motorists every day; they would also photograph the offenders. According to the new regulations, those caught double-parking should have their driving licence confiscated, while not wearing a seatbelt or talking on a mobile phone should mean a fine of LE300, and anyone driving in the wrong direction on a one-way street should expect to be stung for LE3,000. In the meantime, failing to wear protective headgear when riding a motorcycle should mean a fine of no less than LE100. The sociologist argues that the police “are doing their best" to try and stabilise the streets, at a time when thousands of thugs and fugitives from prison are roaming around. However, Azza Korayem, a professor of sociology at the Cairo-based National Centre for Social and Criminal Research, believes that solving traffic congestion requires more than just applying the new Traffic Law. "When the people spend several hours every day stuck in traffic, we must take serious action, not just apply a new law," she argues. "The crowded streets and traffic congestion have a terrible effect on human relations, often leading to violence.” Korayem also stresses the terrible effect on human health of the dangerous levels of lead, carbon dioxide, sulphur dioxide and suspended particulate matter in the air of Cairo, due to decades of unregulated vehicle emissions, urban industrial operations, and chaff and trash burning. Cairo, with a huge population spread over 453 square kilometres, does have a very good Underground system. “The Tube helps relieve the problem of crowding. It's safe and a quick means of transport. But it's like a painkiller, because we still have the problem of 85 million Egyptians living on just 6 per cent of Egyptian land,” Korayem says. “The State should provide its citizens with work near their homes. It also should transfer the ministerial institutions to one of the new cities outside of Cairo and stop building in the capital. This will solve the problem,” she concludes.
