Traffic in Lebanon sucks

[dodzi]

I remember there used to be this talk about building a highway in the sea... But this wouldn't solve anything at all since all the cars would meet again in Beirut!

I lived in Ashrafieh all my life, and traffic has never improved: there is always traffic from Karm el zaitoun to Sodeco Square (and after) passing through Sassine Square. There's always traffic at Hotel Dieu... Actually there's always traffic everywhere, but these are the two main points...

I don't know if a metro would solve many problems, as I see this as a too long-term solution. We don't have an efficient bus system, that's all! At least in Beirut, there needs to be a very efficient one! But when I take the bus from Sassine Square, there are only two busses I can take (the 2 and the 9, to Hamra-Antelias or to Borj Hammoud). Anywhere in Brussels, I can take at least 3 or 4 busses and these take me to central points where I can take like 5 to 10 busses (or tramways or metros or trains)! Sassine is a central point in Beirut, just like Dora, yet there's never a big choice of transport you can take!

[Danny Z]

Originally Posted by dodzi

I remember there used to be this talk about building a highway in the sea... But this wouldn't solve anything at all since all the cars would meet again in Beirut!

I lived in Ashrafieh all my life, and traffic has never improved: there is always traffic from Karm el zaitoun to Sodeco Square (and after) passing through Sassine Square. There's always traffic at Hotel Dieu... Actually there's always traffic everywhere, but these are the two main points...

I don't know if a metro would solve many problems, as I see this as a too long-term solution. We don't have an efficient bus system, that's all! At least in Beirut, there needs to be a very efficient one! But when I take the bus from Sassine Square, there are only two busses I can take (the 2 and the 9, to Hamra-Antelias or to Borj Hammoud). Anywhere in Brussels, I can take at least 3 or 4 busses and these take me to central points where I can take like 5 to 10 busses (or tramways or metros or trains)! Sassine is a central point in Beirut, just like Dora, yet there's never a big choice of transport you can take!

You can't build your way out of traffic, the more bridges and highways you build the more cars people will buy and the more saturated the bottle necks will be. The solution has to be pubic transport and high cost parking and toll circulation inside high density areas, that's what they do in London. You pay to drive downtown, they can also charge high parking rates, so people would rather take a cab and go only when they need to go. We have enough polution so a combination of public transport and high costs on personal solutions would solve the situation but of course you need first people who are able to deliver because if they put parking meters and nobody pays and cops don't act on it, daya3na wa2et 3al fadi.

[elador]

i just came back from lebanon and i have an interesting question for you that i kept asking myself every time i drove from zouk to faytroun and back.

if two cars collide bouz b bouz, whose fault it will be??? how the "khabir will decide who was right and who was wrong?? knowing that there is absolutely no separators, no lanes.. nothing!

[LebanonUSA]

Originally Posted by elador

i just came back from lebanon and i have an interesting question for you that i kept asking myself every time i drove from zouk to faytroun and back.

if two cars collide bouz b bouz, whose fault it will be??? how the "khabir will decide who was right and who was wrong?? knowing that there is absolutely no separators, no lanes.. nothing!

Are you kidding me? Only Lebanon has rules where fault is given a percentage "at fault", i.e. it's 30% your fault 70% his fault. My God, even if somebody rear-ended you (for failing to keep a safe driving distance between the two cars), you would still be at 25% fault! And you're worried about bouz b bouz? My guess it would be either 50/50, or 75/25 depending on if the khabeer knows your family or likes your sweat looks...

[Danny Z]

Originally Posted by LebanonUSA

Are you kidding me? Only Lebanon has rules where fault is given a percentage "at fault", i.e. it's 30% your fault 70% his fault. My God, even if somebody rear-ended you (for failing to keep a safe driving distance between the two cars), you would still be at 25% fault! And you're worried about bouz b bouz? My guess it would be either 50/50, or 75/25 depending on if the khabeer knows your family or likes your sweat looks...

Who cares about khabir, he can give you 100% and the other guy doesn't have insurance and would say "ya khayye ma ma3i. sue me" and if you can't sue murderers you think you can sue a guy who hit you!

[elador]

Originally Posted by Danny Z

Who cares about khabir, he can give you 100% and the other guy doesn't have insurance and would say "ya khayye ma ma3i. sue me" and if you can't sue murderers you think you can sue a guy who hit you!

i have a better one: we call one khabir and tell him that it was totally my fault, as i was driving at the extrem left. than change the cars position and call another khabir and tell him the other guy was driving on the far left.

so both of us get 75%!!!

[yoyo]

THIS is Lebanon our littel brother

[Dry Ice]

Originally Posted by yoyo

THIS is Lebanon our littel brother

WTF is that supposed to mean

[freedom4ever]

Guys I want to tell you something.
The traffic in lebanon is not too much believe me,
Im living here in nigeria, lebanon is nothing compared to nigeria.

Try to imagine you car not moving for 2 hours even for 1 m.

Compare this to lebanon and come tell me traffic

In lebanon the traffic keeps flowing slowly non stop, at least ur car is moving.

They call it Hold Up.
You will be stuck for 2 hours in 1 square meter, it will take you up to 4 hours to move 2 Kilometers

Yale bchouf msibet ghayro bethoun msibto ;)

[LebanonUSA]

Traffic in the Washington DC area today was a disaster. My 11 mile (17KM) commute took me 45 minutes today (6:45 AM is not supposed to be the peak of rush hour, so God knows how bad it was after 7:30 AM). The news blamed the rain, the end of a long weekend, first day of school, Congress back in session, and the lobbyists who are converging onto town to, well obviously to lobby, to be behind today's disasterous traffic.

Another moment of pride is Washington DC broke into the top 4 worst traffic cities in the US, only to be beaten by NY, LA and Chicago. We're proudly becoming worse every year