Traffic Troubles

Lusaka is a city built for 200,000 people. It's current population has to be around 3 million. Now when it comes to infrastructure we're obviously way behind, especially when it comes to roads. Lately we've been noticing that the traffic here has become even more INSANE! We're logging an extra hour a day in traffic whenever we go to town, and it's adding up in wasted time and stress. Basically rush hour is all day. Everyday. Except maybe sundays. 

Here's a regular view of how things go at a major intersection. Notice that there is traffic from 5 directions at once. No one is going anywhere. I have a green light. These guys in from of me have a wheelbarrow and think they are a car.You can't see me trying not to freak out after sitting here for 15 minutes.

My next favorite from the last few weeks is this one:

Notice that there is a marathon runner going up the main road through Lusaka. Yep. Someone held a marathon relay through downtown on a Saturday without closing any of the roads. Until the marathon started. So these poor runners had to run through traffic packed streets full of angry drivers, car-to-car hawkers, and massive exhaust fumes. And meanwhile they closed the road with all the traffic on it for about an hour. Brilliant.