Me, My Car and Tripoli

I need to drive around ten minutes to get to work every morning. This is very close compared to the 30-40 minutes that it took me in Tehran and that was with no traffic around 6:30 a.m. I drive a company car that is equipped with a device they call VDO (I have not thought what it stands for). So basically the way it works is that they give you this blue stick that looks like a fat flash memory and it has your ID as a driver and the car does not start without verifying it. The device records every move, acceleration rate, deaccelaretion rate, speed, duration in max speed, number of hard breaks, etc. By the end of each month, everyone records the data from the system and the safety department prints the record of everyone on public board. Some people appear in yellow and red zone and fall under closer supervision. Oh, before even getting the blue key, you need to sit for a driving test that assesses if you are in compliant with extra cautious driving policies. I like the extra rules very much in driving at least. This VDO has made me to cap my speed to 80 Km/h and to be honest, you have to cap it to this in Tripoli or you are asking for trouble...fastening seat belt is our condition of employment in the company and they say people can get fired not wearing it and they look very serious. It is a good habit to have.

I am a Tehran driver and learned driving in a city that without a doubt should be named as one of the most difficult places to drive but Tripoli amazes me with the way people drive as if the intention is hitting and fact that cars do not hit each other is the accident. Some strange things I have seen in traffic here:

- You are in a crossroad that is bigger than a square with only two traffic lights and they are placed well before the junction itself so if you stop before the pedestrian passage way, you do not see the light behind you and have to rely on the beeping on the cars behind you who actually see the light.

- You see a red traffic light in the middle of a highway and it is red but there is no other road crossing the highway and you suddenly realize that the old U-turn is closed but the light is still working.

- You see extra-huge 8-cylinder 4WD Chevrolet who occupies the whole lane of a narrow street and its ultra bright white florescent headlights make you blind for 10 minutes in traffic!

- You are in a cross road and no one will ever let you pass unless you get to the point that no one could ever pass unless you pass...then they let you pass.

- You are driving nicely and you see that 300m ahead of you, cars are behind the red light...then someone reaches you from behind, attaches himself to your car and flashes like 50 times continuously as if there is a life and death situation...you give him way and he ends up behind the red light just beside you seconds later!

- You are stuck in a traffic jam in a two lane street and finally reach the bottle-neck and what is the bottle-neck? a guy who is sitting in his car calmly made a double parking chatting with his friend who is riding a motor bike and together they clogged 3/4 of the road!

- You see a police officer in a junction and there is a traffic light there too! The officer does exactly what the light says. No less no more and when cars pass the yellow or red light, he just watches...and even stops the cars in green side to let the law-breaking driver to pass.

That is why Mrs.Behi says "be careful when driving" every day when I say goodbye to her..normally we drive around Tripoli getting caught in these funny driving situations...and the CD in our car stereo says: Don't worry...be happy...   

Comments

[Don Cox]

80 kph is a very high speed for an urban area.
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Mr.Behi says: 80 Kms/h is the max cap of the speed for our company cars that means for highways. For normal roads, the cap is 40-50 and in town is around 30-40

[Lucy Bijnen]

Dear Mr. and Mrs Behi,

I very much enjoy reading your weblog as I have lived in Libya during four years (1986-1990) and in Tehran for five years (1999-2004). I recognize the situations you describe. I can SEE you on the Zavia Road on a Thursday night. You must be working in one of the famous towers near the sea which were built when I lived in Tripoli.

Have you been to Leptus Magna already? And to Sebrata? Once, on a beach ("Bus Beach") near Sebrata we got a whole swarm of locusts over our heads. It was unbelievable: the whole sky coloured yellow by the insects. I was very scared and rushed to my car to drive back to Tripoli, only to find one of these locusts in my bathroom!
Lucy Bijnen
The Hague

[sillybahrainigirl]

LOL! That was a fun piece. I enjoyed reading every word.. and yes: PLEASE BE CAREFUL!

[charlie woods]

Hi I like your blog, maybe you would be interested in the piece in my blog about Iran and Bush's attempt to call the Revolutionary guards terrorist?

http://unrepentantcommunist.blogspot.com/

gabriel

[Hiva]

I agree with Don, 80 km/hr seems too much. so it seems there are some other places
to be comparable with Iranian driving :))).
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Mr.Behi says: 80 Kms/h is the max cap of the speed for our company cars that means for highways. For normal roads, the cap is 40-50 and in town is around 30-40

[crash course]

Wow! As a driving instructor who gives 'intensive driving' lessons I do nothing as intensive as you do just getting to work!
Thanks for posting.

[crash course]

Wow! As a driving instructor who gives 'intensive driving' lessons I do nothing as intensive as you do just getting to work!
Thanks for posting.