Arusha's first traffic light

Arusha installed and turned on its first traffic light this week, just one mind you, at the top of EAC road. Arusha is town of unknown population but it must be over 500,000 people with serious traffic congestion (bordering on complete mayhem) during "rush" hour. There are certain areas that traffic crawls all day long. We even have grid lock at times.

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A crew were working for the past week, diggin under the road and putting some foundations in the ground. Then on Wednesday after work as I approached the intersection there the colored lights were, waiting for me, suspended over the road, on poles on the left, on poles to the right, all over the place, pedestrian walk lights, and left turn, right turn, and straight ahead lights.

I have to admit I was a bit concerned I would know what to do as I approached in the left hand lane . I also had no idea that the 200 pedestrians standing around were feeling the same way about drivers.

I was turning left (we drive on the left) so I move into the left lane with a RED left arrow and pulled to a stop, the first car in the left turn lane. I was the one who will decide when to go, a big responsibility. They had painted a white line 10 meters back. That made me a bit nervous to stop that far back as in Arusha you keep inching into traffic until you force oncoming traffic coming from your right to stop. That is the only way to get anywhere. So I worry that drivers behind me will start honking and yelling, as they won't know there is a white line painted on the road signalling where cars should stop and wait for a light. Man!!! I know I am doing the right thing by TRAFFIC RULES in the book, but in reality I am breaking the norm for Arusha.

So there I am worrying, and I notice there are more pedestrians then usual on every side of the road. I think they must be stranded or confused about what procedures.

Next the pedestrian light to my left went to green. I expect a rush of people to cross. But not one of the 30 people on both sides of the road cross. Hmm. I thought about that for a bit until I realize they were just plain watching the novelty of traffic lights.

the green walk light flashes red, and soon after my left turn arrow turns green. I move ahead but have to almost stop for a traffic policeman who has started to cross the road to tell the driver on the other side of the road ahead of me to get going!

I drove on home and forgot about the traffic lights until I got an SMS from
AnnaJoyce saying "Have you seen the lights? It is hysterical. Hundreds of people directing,watching, yelling instructions to drivers when the lights change." I figure she is exaggerating.

The next evening I again "fossil fueled" and drove home 30 minutes after dark and found she had made an understatement. There are literally 1000's of people lined up ten deep watching and yelling directions to drivers. There were traffic policeman running around trying to tell people what to do. It was the biggest crowd draw at this corner since they reinstated safari rally races in Arusha in the late 1980's.

If you are really bored keep reading.

Now remember Arusha is a boom town, with unknown population, I think it is officially 350,000 but probably greater Arusha is half a million. We have traffic jams and gridlock every day during 8am, lunch and 5-7pm and some sections all day.

Add to this the fact that some drivers will overtake in your lane on either side, so when it backs up on a two lane road you can see one lane become three, until the one direction blocks the other direction.

If it were up to me I would of put in a round about. However yesterday I was heading in the east bound direction to the traffic light and it did indeed make it go faster. At peak travel time when my group went through that intersection we were going at 30kmph. that never happens.