Angolan Traffic

Angola is very hard to describe without experiencing it. Now the traffic in Angola is even harder to describe without experiencing it. But at the same time, the first time you experience Angolan traffic, you are in a state of shock, fear, and excitement all at once.

I've been told that during the war people in the surrounding cities moved to Luanda to escape the fighting. Luanda is, comparatively, a small city; and ironically it is the capitol city. I've been told that Luanda was originally built for 800,000 people. Well, there are currently around 6 million people living here. The inflation of the population has created immense stress on the living arrangements and the traffic in the city. The city is simply not built to support all the people who live here. That is why there are so many "slums" in the area. People who can not afford to live in apartments or houses in town live in the slum neighborhoods that are crammed together with houses made out of block-ite walls and aluminum panels for the roof. There is actually a standing slum in the city that was being built with the intention of being an apartment building. Construction of the building was abandoned during the war leaving a 14 story building without windows, balcony railings, electricity or running water. The outside of the building isn't even intact. From the outside you see the squares of the block-ite exposed instead of covered and "complete". During the war, people moved into this building because they needed somewhere to live. So they are living with out electricity, water, windows, anything, to this day. It is literally a standing slum.

This post was supposed to be about traffic huh?!? Well I'm getting to that!

So, with a city whose actual population is six times greater than it's intended population capacity, you could imagine the effects that has on traffic. It is very surprising to see how many cars are on the road considering it is a poor country. There is public transportation but it comes in two forms: bus or taxi. Neither are desirable. People don't pay attention to safety rules or regulations here. I've seen buses full of people. I don't mean full as in every seat it occupied, I mean full as in people are crammed together in the aisles and people are nearly hanging out the window. Then, the bus stops yet again for more people to get on. The doors can barely close there are so many people standing in the doorway! I would not want to be crammed on that bus with all those people. The bus probably doesn't even have a functioning air conditioner knowing things here. No thank you! An even bigger no thank you are the taxis here. Taxi are not the normal yellow taxi that you would see at home. These taxis are similar to old VW buses that are painted blue and white. Taxis operate in teams, the driver and the "helper" for lack of better terms. When the taxi pulls up to a "stop" AKA anywhere they want, then the "helper" opens the doors and start screaming the general location of where the taxi is heading. I've read that it usually costs 65 kwanzas (less than $1) for the taxi fare. We've been told that taxis are a pretty good source of income for the owner. Everyday the driver pays the owner a flat rate, usually $100, while the driver and the "helper" split whatever is left over and are require to maintain the taxi. Drivers have the mentality to make as much money as possible in a day which in turn causes them to be absolute idiot drivers. They are the WORST of any drivers here. Driving isn't too good to begin with but these guys are insane. They will speed past someone on the left hand side of the road, only to serve back into the right side of the road barely avoiding a head on collision or crashing into someone in the right hand lane. Then, there are the scooters. People who drive scooters here think they are invincible. They think that everyone else should look out for them; when I think, based on common sense, they are the smallest things on the road, they should look out for cars. I understand the efficiency of scooters here because they can weave in and out of traffic, they don't have to stop when traffic guards are directing traffic, heck, they even drive on the wrong side of the road (then again everyone really does in one way or another); but never in my life would I get on a scooter here. Another thing about driving here, people flash their lights to convey so many different messages: go ahead, I'm coming through, watch out, idiot, don't you see me? It's too easy to misinterpret "I'm coming through" for "go ahead" which would result in an accident. However, miraculously, there are very few accidents here. Most of the accidents are fender benders, not that that is any better, but it is better than a car being totaled and people being injured. Once there is a fender bender, the real entertainment starts. People talk with such animation you think they were upset at the world, but they could really be telling you how much they love you. It is almost frightening how passionately they communicate. It appears as if they are yelling at each other and an onlooker could easily assume that a fist fight is going to break out. Then they will shake hands and walk away. All it was was a casual conversation. It doesn't look that way though. Now, add the incredibly animated person to a fender bender... can you imagine the result?!?! It's hilarious!!!

Our apartment sit on the corner of two pretty well traveled cross streets. I'll be hanging out then hear people laying on their horns. My thoughts are either someone is blocked by a double parked car and they can not get out, or someone is not being aggressive enough at the intersection, or there was an accident. If the horn honking continues for a few minutes I know it is probably an accident. So I go to watch out of my window. Sure enough, there are two guys yelling and screaming in the middle if the street (with their hazard lights on, I guess that is some safety)with their arms waving and pointing at their already scratched and dented old car. Meanwhile, they are blocking traffic on an already congested street. But they don't care. Then after a few minutes, they are on their way and traffic is moving again. I love watching out our window because it is so funny. There maybe four cars at the intersection and one is trying to go left while the car he is turning past is trying to go left also, then another car wants to go straight and the fourth car is making a U-turn all at the same time. It is crazy, and a miracle that there are not more accidents. I do not believe there are any "rules" for driving here, and if there are, people surely do not follow them.

Now after I have explained the craziness of driving here, I have to say, Reggie and I both drive here. Whenever we are together Reggie normally drives and I am normally saying, "car, car, CAR!" in the passenger seat driving him crazy. :) He is a very good driver, trust me. One has to be aggressive while driving here. If your passive, like I used to be, you will get nowhere (and people will be honking and yelling at you which isn't fun). I have been driving on my own more, on my own meaning without Reggie but usually with friends. Once you get out and about, driving becomes more comfortable. It is VERY different than anywhere else I've driven- even Madrid. But if you can drive here, you can literally drive anywhere. The biggest difference is that you have to expect everything here. You have to expect that the oncoming car may swerve in your lane to avoid a pot hold. You have to expect that cars are not stopping at the "stop" signs, which they do not stop at by the way. You have to expect that no one has the right of way. And you have to expect that the other driver doesn't expect anything also. You can almost always count on the above things happening so a driver has to be more aware here. Usually, people make a two lane road into 3 lanes by driving out on the median. Then they all of a sudden jump back into the right lane. Everything is unexpected so you can't assume anything. While driving anywhere you can't assume anything but especially here you can't count on common sense or any kind of rules that you learned in drivers training. But once you get the hang of it, it's not that bad :) I just have to remind myself that Angolan driving is not acceptable at home!

So after all this I still haven't really talked about traffic. It is a joke here to say, "I'll be there by 10am, depending on traffic". Depending on traffic can change plans drastically. We normally allow one hour travel time to get to the gym on a game day. However, recently it has only taken 10 minutes to get to the gym. Any given day, that could change so you have to account for the unexpected. Certain days traffic is worse than others. Certain hours, traffic is a stand still. Personally, I think traffic is so bad here because 1) there are so many cars, and 2) people don't know how to drive. While a car may drive on the median to pass the 10 cars ahead of him/her, there will be a car parked in the median with it's hazard lights on causing the first car to have to merge back into the lanes. Well people here don't know how to yield because driving here is such a power struggle. People will not let you in, or merge, because they don't want you to get in front of them. Obviously, they are unaware that the "zipper effect" while driving is very effective! If people were not so stubborn and power obsessive traffic would also be a little better. While I have my ideas as to why the traffic is so bad here, I may be completely wrong. However usually, it's because reason #2, people don't know how to drive. Or option 3, which I unofficially mentioned, people are driving on the median then come across a parked car and need to merge back into the regular lanes (if you can even call them that!).

I really wish I had a video camera to explain the complexities of driving! I think I need to bring one back and start making movies of driving in Luanda. It would be pretty darn entertaining, let me tell you! In the Bible Study that I attend, someone mentioned that arriving at a destination here is a blessing because the drivers are so crazy. Like I said, it's an experience. :)