Syria Today | Total Gridlock

Total Gridlock

Traffic in the Syrian capital Damascus is becoming more reminiscent of the chaos in Cairo by the day. When the government cut import tariffs on automobiles in May 2005, Syrians who saved for decades to buy the car of their dreams did so en masse. The resulting flood of cars onto Syria’s thoroughfares has turned main squares into moving parking lots. Damascene drivers previously known for their patience now use car horns at every opportunity and shout at each other out of car windows.

The human cost of Syria’s car surge is more staggering. Between 2005 and 2007, fatal traffic accidents have increased by 42 percent to 28,599 per year, an average of one death every 18.4 minutes. Equally worrying – but less quantifiable in terms of human health and productivity – is the cloud of grey smog hovering over the Syrian capital.

The government is moving ahead with plans to upgrade Damascus’ road infrastructure. It is also enforcing a gambit of laws to cut the recent surge in accidents. A number of schemes to expand public transport – including a metro system – remain on the drawing board.

While these measures are all steps in the right direction, they are unlikely to deal with the record number of Arab tourists expected to visit Damascus with their cars this summer. When combined with the traffic chaos that surrounds road construction sites in Syria, it now seems certain that the summer of 2008 will be one of steaming gridlock.

Andrew J. Tabler, editor in chief