Joy riding on public transportation

On the way home from church yesterday we caught a “mini-bus,” a privately run van which costs 10 US cents and shuttles passengers around on a pre-set route. Very convenient. That is, unless one of the major cross-town thoroughfares is closed to traffic, as it was yesterday. We were thankful for the delay, however, because then we were able to experience first-hand the Syrian traffic jam!

The philosophy behind driving here is the same as for waiting in line. None of this forming a tidy line – here the point is for everyone to crowd to the front. No matter if you cut off the person who was here first – what were they doing giving up their spot so easily, anyhow! So with that philosophy, Syrian drivers take to the road.

Imagine to yourself in a river of cars, four or five cars wide on a one-way, double-lane highway. Cars are squeezed into every possible space, fitting where no car in America would dare to tread. In such a traffic jam as yesterday, occasionally the drivers’ collective patience would wan, at which point there springs up a symphony of horns. The horns make no difference to the traffic cop directing cars at the round-about; they serve more as a means of self-expression. “I am here and I am waiting – and please hurry up if you get the chance!” The moment a space opens up, three drivers immediately put the pedal to the metal so to speak – it’s a real stop and go ride!

The cars are only the first layer of a traffic jam. Add to that the pedestrians crossing at will, squeezing into the narrow spaces between cars to cross the road. Yesterday we also saw a boy on rollerblades who wove artfully between people, horse-drawn carts, taxis, mini-buses and street vendors, making his way twice as fast as the rest of us. Maybe we’ll have to try that next time! (and for those of you prone to worry, I am just kidding).