WATANI International
5 April 2009
In partial admission that a lot needs to be done to repair the traffic situation in Egypt, and that the ‘new’ traffic law stands unable to achieve the aspired reform, the Interior Ministry last week launched a huge “Road Campaign”. The campaign, in which several ministries are taking part, aims at promoting an advanced traffic culture with the public, instating new systems of road monitoring and reviewing the system of mass transport in Greater Cairo.
I insist it is only “partial admission that a lot needs to be done” since the details announced by the ministry focus on several flaws in the traffic system but do not cover the full picture. The campaign centres on educating the drivers, catching the violators, and penalising them, all of which means that those in charge of the traffic believe the sole devil behind the traffic dilemma is driver misbehaviour. As though the traffic authorities have done a perfect job in qualifying drivers, roads, and vehicles, and it only remains to supervise the drivers’ performance and enforce the law.
On the ground, however, and in order to reach full traffic efficiency, the Interior Ministry ought to admit that it should review its method of licensing drivers and vehicles, planning roads, and qualifying staff. I hope I am wrong in assuming that the only reason the Interior Ministry has not already done that is its arrogance in considering the shockingly inferior traffic situation in Egypt none of its doing. This is actually the reason behind my repeated calls to privatise the Egyptian traffic authority.
Lest my words appear overly harsh, I remind of two positive aspects in the Interior Ministry’s campaign. The first concerns the intention of forming a committee to set up an integrated plan for mass transport in Greater Cairo, involving public buses, microbuses, cabs, and metro lines. The committee, the ministry declaration said, should look at similar successful plans in other countries and make use of them. I admit I took comfort in this remark since it characterises the elements I target when I call for privatisation of the traffic authority. A case in point is the experience of the city of Seoul which was able to apply an efficient, innovative traffic system which I would like Cairo to copy, or at least to consult with the Koreans on adapting to Egypt or Cairo.
The second positive aspect involved a study conducted on the role required of the various governmental authorities in remedying the traffic situation. This includes the ministries of interior, transportation, housing, environment, media, and education. This is an unprecedented move on the path of planning, role distribution, coordination, and follow-up; it calls for optimism since it indicates a step in the right direction of a renewed, better-developed Egyptian road and a disciplined Egyptian citizen.
Talking of a renewed Egyptian road brings to mind the question of whether this involves a renewed Egyptian sidewalk. The sidewalk has, over the past three decades, been lacking in all internationally-acknowledged construction specifications and standards, as well as all humanitarian considerations. The sidewalk Egyptians are now familiar with is no more than an area overcrowded with merchandise peddled to pedestrians, and lined with billboards and all types of businesses that have no place originally on a sidewalk. The poor pedestrian has to walk by—not on—the sidewalk; anyone who contemplates climbing the sidewalk would be bargaining for a 30cm or 40 cm-high step. The standard 15cm-high sidewalk, which is suitable for adults, children, and aged people to climb, is non-existent. Local authorities explain the abnormal height by claiming it prohibits vehicles from parking on the sidewalk, but the real reason is that the sidewalk is built that high in order to accommodate layer upon layer of asphalt paving of the roads. These layers are in themselves no constructional necessity; in fact the old asphalt has to be stripped if a road is to be re-paved; they are merely applied in haste once a VIP motorcade is scheduled to pass in that street. If anyone does not believe me, tell me why then the sidewalks in unimportant streets are not built so high?
