If you are a Cairo resident, I won't have to tell you how the traffic has become the past couple of years. But , I'd like to ask you a question: Have you ever noticed the amount of cars with only the driver in it ??!!! I guess most of the cars in the streets carry only one passenger, the driver that is.
This fact drew my attention around a year ago, while I was reading " Whatever happened to the Egyptians " by Dr. Galal Amin ( the book is gr8 btw ).
I'm driven to think that this is one of the major causes of the lousy traffic we are having in our capital. We have poor, poor, poor & in-efficient public transportation; whether it was the underground, buses or taxis. So, families that can afford to buy cars for every member, will certainly do so without hesitation.
Doing the math ( just my own assumptions ), a single family could push around 3 cars in the streets each morning. Looking from the other side ( the destination side ), a working place with 100 employees could have 50 - 70 cars parking in the streets. ( At my department, we have a car for every single member)
I believe that such problem could be partially solved by changing our attitudes as regards transportation. I suggest car pooling.
I'll take my department as an example. Instead of having, 10 cars awaiting in the parking lot; there could be only 7. That's a 30% reduction in traffic.
What makes Egyptians not used to car pooling ?
( in my opinion )
1) We are not used to think as a community. We just tend to think of our own benefit ( ana w mn ba3dy el-toofan )
2) A lot of people tend to think that it'll take more time and consume more fuel to drive 5 more minutes. But, if it was considered thoroughly; the traffic reduction will decrease time consumption, fuel consumption and pollution.
3) We are not used to share.
4) Everyone thinks he's the most important one in the world, they can't wait extra 5 minutes till their colleagues are free to go home.
5) WE LACK PUNCTUALITY.
that's all for now.
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4 comments:
I can't ever imagine carpooling in Egypt. The Egyptian society isn't prepared mentally to accept getting into a car with three or four other people to go to work.
With that being said, you never know what tomorrow will bring!
And that's exactly why I'm talking about it ya Sou.
I agree with no.5 and 2(and maybe no.3), but I don't think that Egyptians are selfish. I think we need time to get used to the idea. Also Have you noticed that most people's work place is in a different area than their home. Imagine if all ppl in mohandeseen worked their and all people in heliopolis worked their. We won't have traffic aslan.
The nice think abroad is that they're used to leasing, so whenever they have a new job somewhere else, they relocate.Just a thought.
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