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AndySerrano — Cairo Has No Traffic Lights
Published: 2008-04-26 23:27:34 +0000 UTC; Views: 11747; Favourites: 47; Downloads: 742
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"Cairo Egypt Has No Traffic Lights and No Traffic Signs"That's right. Cairo Has No Traffic Lights and No Traffic Signs. You share the streets with buses, cars, donkey carts, scooters, cycles, pedestrians and horse drawn carriages. It is an adrenaline rush simply crossing a street. I know this is not an artistic photo. However, in order to grasp this place, you need to see this photo of the traffic.
Cairo has a population of about 7.7 million people, while its metropolitan area has a population of about 17.285 million people.[1] Cairo is the sixteenth most populous metropolitan area in the world. It is also the most populous metropolitan area in Africa.[2]
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Comments: 82
Yes. You may use it. Please give me credit for it. That's all I ask. Thank you for asking. - Andy
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Dear Andy,
we would like to request permission to use the image depicted above for a multimedia installation for a car manufacturer in Germany. Since we could not retrieve any contact details from the blog, we are seeking contact in this form. Could you please contact us via press(at)hosoyaschaefer.com to discuss this further?
If you are not the original holder of image rights for the image above, could you please point us towards the original source?
Many thanks for your cooperation and best regards,
Lucas
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Lucas,
I am the person who took the photograph and own the rights to the original. I would love to discuss this with you and sent you an email to the above address.
By the way, my contact information is on the front page to the right. I provided detailed contact information in my email.
I am looking forward to your correspondence.
Andy Serrano
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I noticed the drivers had no problem. It's just us foreigners who were frightened of it!
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I love your picture. Is there any chance that you would give us permission to use it royalty free? I am a member of an academic department called the Middle East Institute at Georgia State University and we have a difficult time finding good photos royalty free that we can use for promotional purposes for our classes and degree programs. We would really like to use your image. We have a website: [link]
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You may use the photo. I appreciate some kind of note which indicates the web address if possible. Thank you.
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Thank you so much. Most of our promotional things are done with fliers and brochures, such as study abroad brochures. We post most of our fliers in Jpeg format on our website. If this is still acceptable to you I can send you the link when we upload that to the site. We also have a video that is created through our University that is used to promote our Major and we do use some photos in there. At this time I am not sure where your photo will be placed or if it will be used. However, if and when it is used I will give you the link to find it on our website and send you a copy of whatever brochure or flier it may have been used in.
It has also come to my attention that the links I have posted are not working so I will provide it to you here:
[link]
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OK I understand. That's all fine with me.
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Thank you so much,I will be sure to let you know if and when we use it.
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Hi there Andy
with all due respect, Cairo DOES have Traffic lights and Traffic Signs!
There are lots of places in Cairo though that seem a little of a mess. But to generalize and claim that all Cairo is a mess and a line of cars and donkeys and carts is not fair. I'm sorry you've seen only the ugly part, because Egypt has lots of beauty
I want to go out there now and take some pictures for all the traffic lights and signs in Egypt to prove you wrong
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Hello Marwa,
You would know Cairo much more than I would, of course, you live there. I was not trying to insult Cairo with my observation. However, it is what I saw wherever I went. The drivers have a high degree of cooperation and sensitivity to each other in order to navigate through such a situation. Putting it into perspective, I'd rather drive through Cairo, with little nor no traffic lights, than to drive through Rome, which has traffic lights.
-- Andy
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Thank you Andy!!
I understand you weren't trying to insult Cairo, I just felt it wasn't fair generalizing..Cairo is a great City and ppl are kind!
Hopefully next time when you come traffic would be better
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Actually, the traffic did not bother me. It was scary at first, but as time went on, I realized the drivers had some kind of intuitive method and cooperation among themselves. For non-Egyptians, though, the experience can be unsettling.
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Seeing this gave me a rush of pure sensation, even if you don't consider this to an artistic photo, it made me remember how much I miss it with my family there. Thanks for the trinket. =]
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I am very glad I could revive your memories. Maybe I should reconsider how I view this photo. It seems to have an effect on people.
Thank you for the favorite.
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No problem. I like your blue high lights too btw. haha
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Oh. Thanks. I just added color this morning. It's high maintenance.
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this is something i do not miss. is this in downtown cairo? I lived in Maadi for 3 years so i know a some stuff about Cairo.
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Cairo is so huge, I could not determine what constitutes "downtown," but I know I was within short distance of downtown. After a while, I got used to this. Thank you for the fave.
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no prob. Its good to see pictures of what i like to call home.
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I am happy you find Cairo to be amazing.
Thank you for the fave on Cairo Minarets at Sunset.
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That's fantastic shot., that's all what u saw in Cairo.
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on Cairo Minarets at Sunset, Cairo Has No Traffic Lights, and Lone Oarsman. Yeah. Eventually, it all made sense and it was a lot of fun.
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on Cairo has no Traffic Lights. I presume you found this to be hair-raising! [link]
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Once you get used to it, it actually makes sense!
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it was fascinating to see how seldomly traffic jams there, and works just as well as any rule-obeying traffic elsewhere. but there _are_ rules. accidents happen when people do unexpected things, so we must simply not do anything unexpected - such as backing off or stopping when a car approaches. which would save our life in europe, but lead to accidents in egypt.
very easy to get used to, actually.
the most unusual thing for my german self was how honking can be something totally different than aggression or venting of anger.
the very best thing is that making mistakes or circumventing the rules does not lead to authorities bothering you. it takes a lot of stress out of the traffic in think.
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After a couple of weeks, the traffic eventually made sense to me. You are right, honking is an essential part of driving in Egypt. It's not hostile. Even when people bang on your car, it's not hostile. It's just part of driving.
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took me about 24h to throw myself lustfully into the streets downtown 
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yeah, the most surprising thing is, that the traffic really works! and you can get used to it, after few months in cairo i barely flinch wen a taxi driver takes a left turn from the right lane, almost hitting a truck loaded with bananas, going round a carriage, speeding mere milimeters from few pedestrians and an ancient lady selling Flora kleenex. Ah, joyful moments ot the Ring Road
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Yes. That's the feeling I got after a week. I realized that it must work somehow and the people probably feel it's no big deal.
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PIIIIIIISSSS! That's a lot of people! Do you speak Arabic?
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Sorry. I don't speak Arabic. I was only a tourist for two weeks there. Do you speak Arabic?
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Nah- I was just wondering because I have always wanted to venture to Cairo. Anything to tell?
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Yes. Take LOTS of one dollar bills. If you ask them to make change, it will no be in your favor. Everyone wants a tip or a bribe. The food is great. Don't drink the water. Don't eat salads or anything washed with their water. The best ancient sites are in SOUTHERN Egypt, not Northern. Have fun!
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oh, come on, the water thing is just bullshit, really, of course you shouldn't drink tap water, but washing fruit or veggies with it is perfectly fine! Pople can survive on the nile water put through a ceramic filter (helps to get rid of major sediments), well, i did, and i haven't experienced a single stomach problem. But my advice - don't eat in places crowded with tourists. Chefs there don't care about them. And if you have to, just don't eat anything fried. Gid knows how lond the oil stayed on the pan...
Go somewhere egyptians go - it may look awful, but believe me, you won't get crappy food there
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I think you might have some very serious valid points. Thank you
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wow you almost make it sound as if Cairo is not even civilized.. I got to say looking at the picture and your comments I'm actually a bit offended because I'm an Egyptian... we do have traffic lights we do have banners to tell you where to go but you just went to be a poor neighborhood plus during the rush hour.
Cairo is known to be filled with traffic problems but aren't all major cities like that? especially capital cities?
and as far as the donkeys and horses that you keep saying u're seeing in the highway .. its because if the government banned them then u'd end up with millions of men and women with no food no water.. because they simply cannot afford anything else but this type of employment
and men there do not walk with guns in their hands.. and they certainly do not follow women when they feel they want to intersect.. we do have minorities but its not all men ... and all countries got those type of men doing that
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I can understand why you would feel offended. I certainly did not set out to try and insult Egyptians with my comments. However, as a foreigner, seeing Cairo for the first time, my photograph and commentary are meant to convey how Cairo appears to an outsider when seen for the first time. It is a big contrast to us.
It was also my experience that riding on the main highway was a frightening experience for most of us. Seeing no visible controls made it feel that much more scary. Certainly, Egyptians most likely have an understanding among themselves how to behave in traffic, but to us foreigners it is not readily apparent.
The men with the guns were the police and private guards who were assigned to our groups. I witnessed many many Egyptians with guns and automatic weapons. Of course, they were likely security forces, but they did not all wear uniforms.
In conclusion, I did not mean insult, but at the same time, my commentary was meant to express how my friends and I experienced it.
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Yes ofcourse and as an Egyptian i do not like many of the things that were being done in the country..
I believe at some Point Egypt was amazing but due to its economic fall it has been poorly judged and controlled by the government..
Number of taxi's in the country.. donkeys and horses everywhere which are not i can tell u are being banned from the main streets .. but the highways are full of side roads that lead to peasant houses and farms so thats why u see them there..
I hate the traffic but i tell u .. driving in egypt.. really does give u the privilege that you can drive anywhere in teh world lol
There are dangerous places in Egypt just like anywhere else in the world.. and that is mainly in the poor neighbourhoods.. I've never been there myself and I honestly do not want to.. but I only donate to the poor through charities..
Anyways I do still hope that you have enjoyed ur time in egypt
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Yes, everyone wants to defend their country, but not necessarily their leaders.
I hope you enjoy this: [link]
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I'm pretty sure Cairo actually does have some traffic lights.. and signs. The problem is that no one obeys them.
I do love this picture though. I tried so hard to get a good picture of the traffic, but I never got one. Good job!
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If you find an intersection that actually has a traffic lights that WORK (important notice) red usually means "Sure, stop. If you want to."
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I appreciate your comment on Cairo Traffic and I deeply appreciate the fave.
I got the traffic photo from the top of a freeway bridge looking down on the traffic.
It was 120 degrees F in April. How did you withstand it in June!?
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We didn't know it was that hot.
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