There are no stop lights, or traffic signs at all other than street names. There are no crosswalks. Drivers have come up with their own system of traffic control consisting mainly of honking and flashing their headlights. As we drove from the airport in Cairo to Alexandria I noticed the honking. I told my brother- and sister-law later that of all the years I’ve been driving I’ve honked my horn 5-10 times. They asked “well what do you use it for?” In the same tone that I asked “what’s with all the honking?” My brother-in-law who drives explains it as a way to get others’ attention, but in a very casual way. When I walk down the street and a car passes, the driver honks telling me he’s coming and for me to get out of the way—something that I would find very rude in the States, but here it’s normal. When crossing an intersection (most intersections have no lights and no right of way) drivers flash their headlights as an indication that they are crossing. In a way it’s nice because traffic jams are rare, and I have yet to see an accident.
Remember, I said there are no crosswalks. When crossing the road, pedestrians must weave themselves between cars. Traffic in the city moves pretty slow—30mph max—but this will take some getting used to for me. Luckily, most places I go by foot don’t require crossing any big streets. If we need to go somewhere far we have to find either public transportation or private services like taxis. There is a light rail, but I haven’t been on it yet. There are large busses like in any other city, which I have not been on either. Then there are mini-busses which seat 20ish people are very comfortable for trips around the city. For shorter trips there are micro-busses, basically mini vans with seating for 10. These are cheaper but crowded and don’t seem to follow a set route, you just have to call out when your stop is coming. This gets a little hectic when the bus/van is full. Yesterday I went out with Asmaa and we got seats on a micro-bus, but we were the last ones in so were sitting next to the sliding door. Every time we made a stop, I had to get
out, fold down my seat, let the people out and climb back in. The driver is not very patient and wants to keep moving, so if you don’t move quick enough he will drive off even if you’re not seated—this happened once while I was getting back in, with the door still open. We did this in-and-out about 3 times in a 5 minute trip.
This microbus is smaller than than ones I’ve ridden, but you get the idea…
The easiest, but more expensive choice is the taxi—they are everywhere and easy to spot. All taxis in Alexandria are black and yellow and I’m pretty sure they’re all the same make and model. Each taxi is privately owned so it is up to the passengers to negotiate a price with the driver before getting in the cab, otherwise he could make up any fare upon arrival since meters are not used. This taxi is pretty plain, but I’ve seen some with neon flashing lights, multi-colored fringe framing the inside trim or elaborately decorated dash boards.
If you want an adventure and need to get somewhere quick, the best choice is the Tooktook. It’s like a combination between a motorcycle and a cab with a steering wheel and seats for two in the back. I have been told that these drivers typically don’t have licenses and are not trained in road safety. Again, this one is plain, but the tooktook drivers get especially creative pimpin’ their rides.
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