Yet another reason for being late

These days Addis roads are mostly busy all day long but the situation grows to a full scale traffic jam during rush hours. Once it starts at the rush hours the jam actually stays long hours, especially during the afternoon when it stays until 8pm. The delays in these cases are so long that they might take an additional hour than usual for a person to get to a destination. The case would obviously be worse for those who use public transportation as they would be required to pull over several times.
People attribute the major causes of the jam to various causes working independently and in unison. The first of such causes is the road upgrading and construction projects in the city. The tentative closure of major and supplementary roads in the city for upgrading purposes, some argue quite plausibly, has increased the traffic burden on the remaining roads resulting in the jams. These people argue that the closure of the Bel-Air - Kebena - Shola and the Aware - Gedera roads is, for instance, the cause for the traffic jams evident around Megenagna, Kazanchis and Arat kilo.
Others contend that the high volume of car imports has gotten to a point where the roads in Addis can not support it. People with this view argue that the thousands of cars coming into the country, especially into Addis, over the years have forced the creation of traffic jams and argue that the recent closure of roads has less to do with the problem though it has helped worsen the situation.
Still another group of people argue that the jam is a combination of problems summed up together. They claim that the proximity of office opening and closing hours with the resulting rush hours, the narrowness of the roads in Addis and the large number of cars in the city all conspire to make the problem worse. People with this view recommend a diversification in office opening and closing hours between organizations along with wider roads that can take up the large number of cars in the city.
Though it might be really annoying for most of us to get let to wherever we want to go, traffic jams definitely provide the next set of alibis for late people. With a credible reputation for being late, though, we Ethiopians truly do not want another reason. So, we have to solve the problem at its infancy and make sure that it doesn't stay long as a viable reason.

What do you think about the traffic jam problem in Addis?

I think it is because of the lack of coordination in using roads more than any other reason. The lack of traffic lights and police to control the flow of traffic results in long circular shaped queue of cars at the junction point of almost all four roads in the city. That culminates in the formation of long line of cars stretching for more than 100 meters. Such a problem coupled with narrow roads in the city is making it impossible to drive some particular times.

Anteneh Baynegalegn, Broker

I really hate traffic jams because they not only deter your movement but also create a very noisy environment as drivers blow their horns in vain. I would say we need more traffic police these days. I have seen a couple of traffic women in Addis recently and I guess there number will go up soon.

Lemlem Kibru, teacher
Traffic jams are usually characteristics of big cities in the developed world and I guess having them in our capital shows that people are moving more and faster. That is a good sign of enhanced economic activities and a sign of the growth we are experiencing. So, I like it, though it might be very discomforting.

Kaleb Worku, artist

So, we are talking about traffic jams already? I do not think we can label them that since traffic jams in the rest of the world extend for kilometers as opposed to the couple of hundred meters they stretch at best in our city.
Adam Abebe, software engineer