Not so sweet jam in the city

We all love fruit jam (at least many people I know), but not traffic jam! If you live in Kampala or its suburbs, I'm sure you would agree with that assessment or can identify with what I'm talking about.

Kampala is the capital city of Uganda, with a population of approximately 2.5 million. The city is quite a colorful, vibrant place, especially on week days when a sea of people and vehicles fill up every open space! On a busy day, one gets the impression that the population of the city is either a misrepresentation or an underestimation. In most cases the number of people seem to double (it could be just an illusion!) probably because of commuters from neighboring cities or towns like Jinja, Lugazi, Mukono, Kajjansi, Entebbe, Bombo, etc. Many of the commuters are employees in the city while others are traders and/or venders. 

When 'padding' is the faster option of managing the jam. Pedestrians walk past a line of vehicles stuck in a traffic jam.

With all the commuters comes a corresponding rise in the volume of traffic (way too many vehicles!). Unfortunately, our road networks and systems are too archaic and outdated to handle the rise in vehicles. Factor in haphazard driving - the law of the jungle or survival of the craziest (which ever suits you) - and you have a mess! Many of the motorists that I've observed are careless or insensitive drivers (or both) who feel they have the right-of-way at all traffic intersections. Commuter minivan drivers are the main culprits here. They have a habit of weaving in-and-out of traffic lanes with total disregard for other motorists. Some will even straddle lanes, just for the heck of it!

Another group of vehicles that are now a staple of the city (and most towns in Uganda for that matter) are the passenger motorcyclists. They are locally known as boda-boda riders (or simply boda-boda). The boda-bodas are very handy in certain situations, for instance, if one is running late and must make it to an important appointment no matter what, then they are the best bets. However, they can be a nuisance to public safety in my opinion. Well, they tend to break almost all traffic regulations. In traffic they will pop up from nowhere and freak the heck out of an unsuspecting motorist (these guys can cause even the strongest of hearts an attack one day!). At traffic intersections, they often congregate in front of vehicles and shoot in every-which-way to get a head start irrespective of whether they have the green light or not (sometimes it amazes and amuses me in equal measure just seeing them do their thing). They have an insane habit of riding very close to pedestrians. Why? I have absolutely no idea! Because of this habit, two people that I know have had a limb broken each, by reckless boda-bodas on two separate occasions while they walked.

Having careless drivers and insensitive commuter minivan drivers is bad enough for a traffic jam. Now for the worst case scenario, throw boda-bodas into the mix during rush hour. What do you get? A thick, heavy traffic stew of traffic mayhem! It's worse following a rainstorm! How can this problem be solved? For starters, getting citizens to obey traffic rules by, say, driving in an orderly manner. Then building modern roads that are wide with multiple lanes.

A traffic officer attempts to solve the ever-present  traffic  puzzle during  rush hour.

I got caught in a traffic jam not long ago. I was from a meeting at one end of the city and was heading to the end of the city through downtown. On a normal day this cross-town trip often takes, at most, 15 minutes. I departed from my meeting location at exactly 4:30 PM, traffic was flowing normally. I thought to myself "well, at this rate I'll arrival at my destination around 4:50-ish PM. Little did I know that there was a pile up ahead. All roads leading into and out of the city were packed with vehicles bumper-to-bumper. This turned out to be but a normal day! By the time I had realized what was happening, it was too late to turn back to use an alternate route (alternate routes are longer, but often faster). 

Moving at break-neck speed, tortoise style! The traffic was so thick that "N" was the only gear to engage for long periods or even turning the vehicle off. It can be frustrating, but happy thoughts and music make good company in such a case. 

Traffic inched its way forward - at a tortoise's pace - as the clock ticked daylight away. Motorists honked their horns at every opportunity to hasten the pace, but to no avail. Some were visibly agitated, but that didn't make the situation any better. Music from one of the radio stations kept me company. And happy thoughts, too! I checked the clock and noticed that 2 hours had elapsed yet I hadn't made it out of downtown yet.

Bumper-to-bumper days! This is commonplace in Kampala during morning and evening rush hour on weekdays.

Which way now? Even 'boda-bodas' that are usually adept at beating traffic jams sometimes get stuck, too. 

Caught some great sights like this one, which I wouldn't have otherwise  seen. The traffic jam has a good side to it after all!

I finally made it to my destination well after 3 hours! I have a general motto (for time-keeping) - 'start early to arrive in time'! A 'stitch in time...' so to speak. Unfortunately, on this particular day it didn't work, not because I set off late, but because of factors beyond me! I haven't given up on it though.