# Traffic



## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

I know we do this subject to death at time.

Last night it took me 70 minutes to make a 30 minute journey and the return journey at 10.45pn took 50 minutes.
Today it took my friend 90 minutes to reach me when it should be 30 minutes , the traffic was so bad we walked to our final destination.
I wonder how much time and money is wasted sitting in traffic.
Why are there no carparks here? There is a multistory one down in Attaba? but I know of no other,
Blocks of apartments are built here in the city with no thought of planning for car parking.
The 6th October bridge runs from Mohandiseen to Heliopolis yet there is no hard shoulder/layby for cars that break down resulting in the bridge being brought to a standstill several times each day , No emergency access on these clogged roads. 

Infrastructure is the first thing they should sort out. I think an electric monorail around the city would go along way to alleviating the problem..


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## CatMandoo (Dec 16, 2011)

Most of these problems can be blamed on the corrupt system in place here for over 40 years. Buildings are required by law to provide underground parking, but that has been totally ignored. Baksheesh placed in the right hands, and that space is then converted to more flats and shops. 

There is already an underground railway system, Metro, which is being expanded last I heard. It does cover much of downtown area now. There are maps online if anyone is interested in the routes.

I really dislike Cairo because of the traffic problems. Years ago they brought in engineers from around the world, in order to find a solution to the traffic problems. Bottom line, they all came to the same conclusion, there was NO solution.

Alex is becoming just as ugly as Cairo in terms of traffic congestion. They did a major redo of the Corniche Road and it is not just as congested as when they first started. 

Poor Poor Planning!


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

I have used the metro system.. twice, once to my destination and back.
It doesn't really go anywhere but it is going out to the airport..fingers crossed it helps


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## ArabianNights (Jul 23, 2011)

AFAIC- The Cairo metro system is near useless. There is no way to get to Mohandiseen for starters, which is where I usually go, when I am in Cairo.


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## CatMandoo (Dec 16, 2011)

ArabianNights said:


> AFAIC- The Cairo metro system is near useless. There is no way to get to Mohandiseen for starters, which is where I usually go, when I am in Cairo.


Ask me if I am surprised.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

The metro system came to a standstill when SCAF was using tear gas as the gas went down into the station... building a monorail similar to the set up in Japan would be cleaner and of course would not take anywhere near as long to build, no digging out of tunnels for a start.


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## ArabianNights (Jul 23, 2011)

CatMandoo said:


> Ask me if I am surprised.


I think that there is no point in having a metro system, if it doesnt travel between the city's major airport. When Dubai built its very new current Metro system, it initially didnt go to the airport, but I think it does now. It doesn't make sense in having a metro system, but not go to the airport. I guess it depends on whether they are targeting the local market or tourists!


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## CatMandoo (Dec 16, 2011)

Just ban all cars. Bring back the horse and buggy. Am sure you would get from Point A to B twice as fast as you can in a car now days.


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## ArabianNights (Jul 23, 2011)

CatMandoo said:


> Just ban all cars. Bring back the horse and buggy. Am sure you would get from Point A to B twice as fast as you can in a car now days.


We still use them in the border regions of Afghanistan. Works just fine


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## expatlady (Nov 25, 2011)

ArabianNights said:


> I think that there is no point in having a metro system, if it doesnt travel between the city's major airport. When Dubai built its very new current Metro system, it initially didnt go to the airport, but I think it does now. It doesn't make sense in having a metro system, but not go to the airport. I guess it depends on whether they are targeting the local market or tourists!


I do not know Cairo; but a couple of other places I know of (Tenerife, Cyprus) the public transports _never_ goes to the most useful places (like airports). Why? Ask those who profit from it: taxi-drivers. The "well-being" of a few well-connected, and good-at-lobbying taxi-drivers/owners takes precedence over the good of everyone.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

expatlady said:


> I do not know Cairo; but a couple of other places I know of (Tenerife, Cyprus) the public transports _never_ goes to the most useful places (like airports). Why? Ask those who profit from it: taxi-drivers. The "well-being" of a few well-connected, and good-at-lobbying taxi-drivers/owners takes precedence over the good of everyone.



Taxis are not the reason here, quite simply any funds that Egypt could have bought a good infrastructure with simply went into the pockets of the ruling elite.


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## expatlady (Nov 25, 2011)

MaidenScotland said:


> Taxis are not the reason here, quite simply any funds that Egypt could have bought a good infrastructure with simply went into the pockets of the ruling elite.


Ok, I´ll take your word for that. 

Then there should be hope when that ruling elite is gone? (Not that it is, as yet)


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## marenostrum (Feb 19, 2011)

I don't see the point in building a monorail system here.
One thing is having it in Singapore and on having it in Cairo...
By this I mean that even with a new monorail I doubt Egyptians would use it.
They would be too set in their ways with cars.


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## canuck2010 (Jan 13, 2010)

We heard the reason for the traffic is because the police/military have closed off several roads due to protestors.


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## MaidenScotland (Jun 6, 2009)

marenostrum said:


> I don't see the point in building a monorail system here.
> One thing is having it in Singapore and on having it in Cairo...
> By this I mean that even with a new monorail I doubt Egyptians would use it.
> They would be too set in their ways with cars.




I am sure they would use it.. they use the Metro.

Part of the problem here is the snobbery.. use the underground/metro in other cities and you can sit/stand beside what would be termed as a high class person but of course no high class person would sit beside your average working man, heck they wont even get in the lift if the boab is in it.


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## charleen (Apr 26, 2009)

MaidenScotland said:


> I am sure they would use it.. they use the Metro.
> 
> Part of the problem here is the snobbery.. use the underground/metro in other cities and you can sit/stand beside what would be termed as a high class person but of course no high class person would sit beside your average working man, heck they wont even get in the lift if the boab is in it.


oh don't even get me started on this topic.....makes me , 
If they only knew how working class I really was...yet they would never do that to me but to their fellow Egyptian they treat like dirt....


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