|
NEW TRAFFIC LAW IN EFFECT
BY LOUIS WASSER
ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY RÉHAB EL-BAKRY
Disorder on Egypt’s roads is as enduring a feature of the national experience as foul and taamiya. Double-parked cars, motorists going in the wrong direction and a complete disregard for traffic signals are just a few of the typical sights on many of the country’s streets. In an effort to create order out of seeming chaos, the People’s Assembly passed new traffic legislation, Law 121/2008, which came into effect on August 1, replacing many regulations that have been in place since 1973. The Ministry of Interior has increased the presence of traffic police for much of the past month in an effort to tame the streets. But only a month into its enactment, many are wondering if this new law will make any dent at all in alleviating the country’s traffic woes.
According to the Cabinet Information & Decision Support Center, an estimated 32,000 people are injured in traffic-related accidents and more than 7,000 lose their lives on the road in Egypt each year. With figures like these, it’s no wonder that Egypt has earned a reputation as a particularly unsafe place to drive – many foreign nationals are advised by their governments to avoid trying. It has been stated that the accident rate in Egypt is 34 times higher than that of Europe and three times as high as that of some countries in the region. The large numbers of cars, accidents and fatalities were part of the reason behind the Ministry of Interior’s decision to push for a new law.
“If you have more control on the road then you can reduce the [rate of increase for] accidents,” says Ali Salem Heikal, director of the Traffic & Transportation Consulting Unit (TTCU) at Ain Shams University, who argues that the overall number of accidents will continue to rise as the potential for accidents increases along with the number of vehicles on the road. “If we manage to decrease [the rate of increase for accidents], then there is an improvement definitely.”
According to Sherif Gomaa, assistant to the interior minister, there are more than 26 million vehicles clogging up Egypt’s streets. With the increase in population and the number of vehicles on the streets, the ministry of interior had no option but to introduce stiff penalties as a deterrent to violations. “There have always been rules and fines for violations,” Gomaa says. “However, with the growth in the population and the number of vehicles, the traffic can come to a standstill simply because people do not respect traffic rules. The only way was for us to introduce strong penalties and implementation in order for people to heed the law.”
Everything from increased fines to jail terms to license confiscations for a number of offenses is outlined in the legislation. From fines of up to LE 300 for failing to wear a seat belt to a possible 30-day suspension of one’s driver’s license for double-parking, many of the facets of the new law challenge typical behavior among Egyptian drivers. A fine of between LE 1,000 and LE 3,000 can be levied for driving in the wrong direction. If such activities result in an accident, offenders will have to pay the full value of the fine as well as serve a six-month jail term. Chatting on your mobile while driving can result in a fine ranging from LE 100 to LE 300, while driving by night without your headlights can cost you your license for six months or more. Blocking parking spots, another common practice, could cost the offender between LE 1,000 and LE 3,000 and/or result in up to a year of incarceration.
While some aspects of the new law, such as the seat belt requirement, have been on the books for years, the increased penalties represent an attempt to ensure compliance, says Gomaa. “The new fines are tough and they are designed to be tough,” he says. “It’s not like what we are trying to enforce is unusual or unheard of; we simply want people to drive in an orderly manner without putting their lives or the lives of others at risk. If you break the law, you will have to pay the penalty for breaking the law. But if you abide by the law, then you have nothing to worry about.”
In another measure intended to increase safety on the roads, drivers are now required to carry a first aid kit and a reflective safety triangle in their cars – or face a possible loss of his or her license for a minimum of 30 days. The safety triangle requirement and seat belt provisions of the law make sense, says one 62-year-old taxi driver. “But I think the first aid kit is of no use because I am a driver; I am not a doctor.”
It might seem like a tall order to some, but according to Gomaa, that perception has more to do with what local newspapers have published about the required contents of the first aid kits. “Most of what has been published thus far about this particular issue has been inaccurate,” he asserts. “Requiring a safety kit is standard in many countries and it’s likely to require nothing more than disinfectant, bandages, gauze and similar items, which are found in the first aid kits that many cars are already equipped with. Believe it or not, you can help someone with these. It’s not like we are requiring people to perform surgery on the sidewalk, but this way, if someone is hurt and is bleeding, you will have something to bandage them with as opposed to tearing a piece of someone’s shirt to do that. I have seen that happen, so what’s the difference?”
The exact contents of the first aid kits have yet to be announced. A committee has been formed within the Ministry of Interior to determine the required contents. Most importantly, Gomaa says that the kit “will not cost more than LE 40 in total.”
While these are the provisions many have dwelled on, there are some major changes introduced by the law that have not received as much attention, despite the fact that they merit it. Most specifically, the legislation includes new regulations impacting taxis and trucks pulling trailers.
Taxis are affected in two main ways. First, the law requires that they be outfitted with working meters, a rare sight in Egypt. “I doubt if any taxi in Cairo, or even in Egypt, has this meter – only the new yellow taxis,” says Heikal. Potentially more serious for many taxi drivers is a requirement that taxis older than 20 years undergo a forced retirement, although they have a three-year grace period until they have to be off the street. The Ministry of Interior argues that such vehicles pose a safety risk to passengers, pollute the environment and cause traffic jams as they are slow and often break down.
Instead, these vehicles will be removed from the street and their owners will receive financial support from the Ministry of Finance to help them buy new ones. “It’s not a bad idea, but it will be difficult for some people to make a down payment,” a 22-year-old taxi driver told Business Monthly.
Although the exact details have yet to be ironed out, the Ministry of Interior has submitted two proposals for the administration of the fund. The first is for the government to allow vehicles imported for this particular purpose to be customs-exempt. The second proposal is for the owners to receive interest-free loans from the fund for extended periods of time. “We still have to finalize the exact details, but just as the taxi drivers have a grace period before this particular aspect of the law is fully implemented, we do too.”
Just like older taxis, trailers dragged behind trucks have also been singled out in the amended law, and will likewise no longer be allowed on Egypt’s roads. This provision does not refer to semi-trailers, which are containers pulled by a road tractor, but rather to full trailers attached to other vehicles. The new law outlaws the manufacture and import of such trailers, and those on the road will have to be off within four years.
This type of truck-trailer rig is used for about 20 percent of business in Egypt, estimates Omar El Derini, chairman of the Foreign Trade Policies, Transportation & Ports Committee at the Federation of Egyptian Industries (FEI). “The period given is really for the trucking companies to [make the] shift, but a lot of manufacturers have built their factories based on [trailers],” he says. “They will be hurt because it’s not easy to [switch].”
But four years should be enough time to make this transition, if companies start now – a prospect that El Derini finds unlikely. “In Egypt, unfortunately, planning is always the last thing thought of, so we have a tendency to wait till the last minute,” he says. “I don’t see companies really moving from today to start the transition phase.”
Just as companies have to adjust, individual truck drivers will as well. While there are a handful of large trucking companies in Egypt, many trucks are owned by individuals, says Hussam Leheta, chairman and CEO of Egyptian Transport & Commercial Services Co. SAE. “The transition is not that easy for such an individual,” he says. Individual owners of trucks using these trailers will have to adjust either by purchasing new vehicles or simply not using trailers and thus carrying less cargo.
While the amended traffic law clearly aims to transform the character of Egypt’s roads – from trailers to triangles – it remains to be seen how effective the attempt to implement the law will be. Police presence is a big factor in implementing these measures, argues the 22-year-old taxi driver. “There must be more policemen on the streets all the time to let people know that the law is being applied,” he says.
Leheta agrees that enforcement is key, but acknowledges that it will be a challenge. “People – everywhere – just don’t follow rules,” he says. “It’s a matter of turning the whole community into [one that is] following rules and enforcing everything across the board – not just the traffic law.”
But, at least for now, the law is being implemented. The Ministry of Interior has even launched an ad campaign to increase the public’s awareness of the need to actually follow the law. “It is being implemented strongly,” says El Derini. When asked if he thinks this will continue, with a chuckle he replies, “I will rephrase that. You mean to ask me: for how long will it be enforced?”
For the time being, drivers seem to be respecting the new law. Heikal argues that people driving on the main roads might follow the rules, but that on the side roads it’s another story altogether. “[Egyptian drivers’] behavior will improve on the highways and main roads, but I don’t think on the minor roads because there is no enforcement,” he says. “But, hopefully people will learn. Once they do it right on the main road, they should do it right on the minor road.”
Those enforcing the law will receive some help. Gomaa points out that the ministry is fixing all existing traffic lights, and installing new ones to free up officers for the enforcement of the law. Moreover, the ministry has received approval to purchase camera-equipped traffic lights that will photograph violators, a move he says will provide proof of violations to reduce the subjectivity of enforcement. These new traffic lights are expected to be operational by the end of the year.
How widely and effectively control will spread will be a key factor in changing the character of Egypt’s roads. El Derini argues that the Ministry of Interior is being watched closely to see how it enforces the law. “I think this time there is a sharp [eye] on the Ministry of Interior to see if they will succeed or not in implementing this law.”
Submit
your comment
Top
|
