Having almost given up the search for an official solution to Cairo's endemic traffic problems, people have started to look for creative solutions of their own, writes Ahmed Abu Ghazala One of Cairo's chronic quality-of-life problems is its traffic. What used to be rush hour has become rush hours, with congestion blocking many of the city's streets from early in the morning until late in the evening and sometimes even beyond. Research has been commissioned and the newspapers have been full of reports on the extent of the problem, with various solutions having been floated. Thus far, however, no permanent solution seems to have been found. Ideas that have been put forward include expanding and improving public transport in the capital, using new technologies to manage the traffic system, moving government offices outside Cairo to other governorates, and even only allowing cars with licence plates ending in an odd number to drive one day and even ones the next. It has been suggested that the number of cars a single family can own should also be limited. While some of these ideas have been applied and have achieved a measure of success, such as the city's underground network and the use of new technologies for improved traffic management, most have either not been applied, or have only been taken up on a small scale. Another new solution that has appeared in the press recently is the brainchild of engineer Amr Abdu, who calls his design the "Clover Flower". Traffic overpasses and bridges built to this design have been used in various countries, Abdu says, and they could be used in Cairo. The idea consists of building towers at traffic intersections, with bridges built at different heights to facilitate movement in each direction without traffic lights or other means of control. Abdu is also a supporter of smart parking systems and of new articulated buses which, constructed in three parts, could transport as many as 300 people. However, Abdu's ideas, like others before them, have not been implemented. Though only recently discussed in the press, they were first presented to the authorities as far back as 2001. According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS) the number of vehicles in Cairo in 2008 reached some 1.5 million. According to ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) figures, some 200,000 new cars were given licences in 2009. In the absence of any real solution coming from government, individuals have adopted different strategies to avoid the worst of Cairo's traffic. According to sophomore engineering student Mohamed Adel, the main thing is to avoid main roads, "which are always jammed". Adel explains that "I take side roads if I can, and if I am not going far then nothing beats walking." Another strategy, this time adopted by one of Cairo's taxi drivers, regards the city's congested bridges. These often only have two lanes, but when there is a major traffic jam a third lane is created between them. "Always take the middle lane," the driver advises, "as it moves faster because cars tend to leave it." Another strategy is carpooling, in which friends or colleagues going to similar destinations share one car rather than using several. This strategy has even been officially promoted through a government advertising campaign entitled "Calculate it Right, Live it Right", which urges individuals to rationalise their expenditure and save time through carpooling. Mohamed Hassan, a recent mass communications graduate, said that carpooling with his friends was essential if they were travelling any distance, though other reasons may include reducing the expense of transport, alleviating congested roads, or reducing the search for places to park. However, like many others Hassan sees such strategies as little more than stop-gap solutions. They do not get to the root of the problem. Instead, he says, "the government should improve public transport, make cities less densely populated, and get people to respect the traffic laws." Another strategy has been put together by the media, with the FM radio station Nogom now providing a traffic news service that gives drivers up-to-the-minute details of traffic conditions in Cairo. The idea is that listeners can avoid traffic jams before getting stuck in them, though obviously it is only effective if drivers do indeed hear the news first when driving. Blackberry smart phones also have an application called bey2ollak (he's telling you), which allows users to rate traffic conditions on a five degree scale on a real-time basis. If none of these solutions works, then there is another that could also be tried, though this is only for the courageous -- cycling. Three friends recently set up a Facebook site called the Cairo Cyclers' Club to promote cycling, reduce the number of cars on the streets and decrease pollution. According to Mustafa Hussein, one of the group's founders, speaking in an interview with Al-Ahram Weekly, the group started out by organising a cycling city tour on Friday mornings. The first tour was held in May 2008 and only attracted four cyclers. However, since then the group's activities have much expanded, and its Facebook site now has over 4,000 members. Weekly bike tours attract some 50-60 cyclers and go through every part of Cairo, including the suburbs. The group has also organised events with organisations like 350.org, the National Agency for Mental Health and Cairo University, each attracting more than 200 riders. The group advocates for environmental awareness, and according to Hussein it is seeing many of its ideas being taken up by the wider community. "Sales of bikes and cycling supplements broke all records recently," he says. "The media is interested in our activities, and we host an event on the first Monday of every month that is broadcast on Channel Two's Yesead Sabahak [Good Morning] programme." He and many of his friends use bikes to get to work. "I am often the only one moving in the street when the roads get really jammed." While not everyone who signs up for group activities actually gets involved, Hussein admits, and the group does not have as many female members as it would like, these are essentially teething troubles. The fact remains that this successful and environmentally aware group, acting from the grassroots to try to solve Cairo's motor vehicle problems, started as a group of friends with a Facebook page to promote their cause. "We love cycling," Hussein concludes by saying. "But we are also interested in the environment, health, sports and social life." According to the Central Agency for Public Mobilisation and Statistics (CAPMAS), in 1981 slightly more than 900,000 vehicles were registered in Egypt. By 2008 that figure had grown to 4.5 million in Egypt. According to CAPMAS, the number of private cars registered in Egypt in 2003 was just above 1.5 million, and it had reached some 2.3 million by 2008.
