City without traffic lights

Think You Have a Nightmare Commute?

But there’s one thing that I wasn’t prepared for: crappy roads.
Despite the hundreds of billions of dollars that’s been pumped into Afghanistan to help the country rebuild, the roads in the capital are a mess.
Crumbling, dilapidated, and unkempt, in some areas, the potholes are so big they turn into tiny ponds after a rainfall. I swear I saw a duck swimming in one once.
To its credit, the municipality of Kabul has deployed hundreds of traffic police throughout the city. In bright, neon yellow jackets, they stand on guard at intersections and roundabouts, braving the rain and snow, desperately waving handheld signs that resemble ping-pong racquets, ordering driving to stop and go. Sadly, few drivers pay attention.
“Afghanistan’s a new country” one told me, explaining that it will, naturally, take time for people to learn to obey traffic rules.
Speaking of rules, there’s really only one that matters: Whoever has the most guns (i.e. armed guards) is basically allowed to go wherever they want. It’s a common sight when driving through Kabul. NATO convoys, with their massive MRAPs and armored vehicles, generally don’t stop while driving in the city. They go wherever they want.
Next up, the city’s elite – politicians, warlords, and businessmen with government ties. They don’t travel in convoys, but are usually accompanied by a pickup truck filled with armed men carrying AK-47’s. For the most part, they go wherever they want too.
After that, you have the various NGOs and foreign organizations. Their employees don’t travel in convoys, but usually have bulletproof vehicles with drivers who know how to use their vehicle’s size and weight to their advantage. As a result, they can muscle their way to wherever they want.
Then comes the sedans, jingle trucks, taxis, cyclists, motorcyclists, wooden carts, wheel barrow pushers, fruit sellers (yes, they stand on the road), cell phone card hawkers, beggars, walkers and the women in blue burqas who squat in the middle of the road.
It all makes for a frustrating-yet-mesmerizing symphony of movement. Proof that despite decades of war, the city of Kabul moves along at its own pace, in its own inimitable style. The only way to get through it all is to sit back and enjoy the bumper to bumper ride.

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