Watani Sunday Published by Watani Printing and Publishing Corporation 19 July 2015 27, Abdel-Khaleq Tharwat St. 12 Abib (Apip) 1731 Cairo - Egypt 3 Shawwal 1436 202-23936051 Tel Fax 202-23935946 Editor-in-chief Managing Editor Issue 753 Website: www.wataninet.com Year 15 Email: [email protected] Youssef Sidhom Samia Sidhom Editorial Problems on hold And you call this a taxi service? Youssef Sidhom Taxis are among the basic utilities that reflect the level of advancement and discipline of capitals and towns around the world, and are used not only by locals but by visitors and tourists as well. The quality of the service is measured by the effort it takes to get a taxi, the condition of the vehicle, the efficiency of the driver, and the tariff. With this in mind, it is with many regrets that I broach the topic of taxis in Egypt— and in Cairo in specific—a topic that has long been placed on hold. The substandard taxi service in the country has for decades on end continued to project a miserable image of Egypt; it was even a main factor why Egypt lost the chance to host the 2010 Mondiale, the World Cup football games; South Africa was awarded that honour instead. Cairo’s taxis have since seen a huge overhaul. New white vehicles replaced the old, dilapidated black ones; modern metres were installed in the new taxis; and a new tariff that was more advantageous to taxi operators and fair to passengers was set. But this did not work to improve the service which remained shoddy and unreliable, still far removed from the superior level of similar services in capitals of the modern world and in many of those of our Arab neighbouring States in the Downtown Cairo Gulf. To prove my point, I cite some details. Even though the vehicles used as taxis have been upgraded by law, taxi drivers remain utterly unqualified on demeanour, behaviour, and proper driving. This brings to mind our An open museum development endeavours in the field of education; we upgrade the schools but not the teachers who then wreak Frequenters of Downtown Cairo have been more than pleasantly surprised at the havoc with the pupils’ minds. Taxi Nasser Sobhy Parking ban plethora of changes that have been taking place throughout the last few months. The With the parking ban now in effect, people who live in Downtown Cairo and those drivers behave as though they believe result has been that the district is taking on a brightness and cheerfulness no one they do passengers a favour to drive who have to commute to the area for work complain that the only places available thought were possible in a neighbourhood that had gained notoriety for drabness, grimness, them to the required destination; for parking are extremely costly. These include private parking lots and the public multi-storey overcrowdedness, and an altogether rundown air of a place that had seen better days. they appear as though they cannot parking garages operated by Cairo governorate such as the Tahrir and Attaba car parks. State grasp that they are offering a service officials insist that going into any city centre by car is a costly affair, and that whoever insists which they should strive to perform Majestic beauty on taking his car to Cairo’s Downtown must pay the hefty parking fees. efficiently in order to earn their Cairo’s Downtown, the triangular area that lies between the squares of Attaba, Ramsis, and Watani conveyed this complaint to Cairo’s governor who again said that all over the world fare. The apathy of taxi drivers is Tahrir, is known as Khedivial Cairo. It was built by Khedive Ismail who ruled Egypt from 1863 the cost of commuting to the city center using one’s private car is very expensive; this is why all-too-obvious. Many do not even to 1879 along the lines of Haussman’s architectural model of Paris. people always park their cars away from the downtown areas and continue their journey by care for their personal appearance; A few weeks ago Egypt’s Prime Minister Ibrahim Mahlab opened the completed first phase of the taxi or public transport. “To help citizens move around easily at low cost, Cairo governorate is they are dishevelled and wear attire Downtown Cairo development project, which included al-Alfi and Orabi streets. This was preceded expanding the public transport network and is also increasing the number of comfortable public inappropriate for any job, some even by the inauguration of the Tahrir square underground parking which allowed Cairo Governor Galal buses. We are also providing shuttle buses which operate between the public parking spaces and drive in the flowing galabiya robe and al-Saïd to ban parking in the main streets of Downtown Cairo. This, in tandem with moving out the streets of Downtown to help people reach their destination easily,” he said. slippers. They do not bother to clean the street vendors who had in the wake of the post-Arab Spring security breakdown invaded the or tidy up their vehicles, and they city centre to the point of spilling over the sidewalks and into the vehicle paths, had the almost Hefty fees have their radios set at a shockingly miraculous effect of relieving traffic congestion that had become chronic to the area. Watani surveyed individuals on the streets of Downtown Cairo to learn their opinions vis-à- high volume. Others insist on The development project works on restoring the city centre’s historical buildings and repainting vis the recent changes. smoking, oblivious to the health and their facades, renovating the roads and sidewalks, banning car parking on the main streets, and The parking ban decision was, predictably, the issue which worried them most. Interior comfort of passengers. Taxi drivers transforming a number of them into pedestrian areas. designer Karim Fawzi complained about the high parking fees in the State-owned parking in Egypt also entitle themselves to Ultimately, according to Dr Saïd, Cairo’s downtown should glow with the radiance of an lots and demanded that the governorate readjusts those prices to make them affordable for the accept or decline driving a passenger open museum of architectural art; the target is to bring back the majestic beauty of its golden average citizen. “Most employees who spend around eight hours in their offices cannot pay such to a destination that is not to their days. “In the past decades the city centre’s buildings hefty parking fees,” he said. liking or which involves navigating had become rundown, street vendors invaded and “Opening many parking spaces in this area is a areas of congested traffic. occupied the sidewalks, and traffic congestion great idea to reduce the huge traffic congestion,” The traffic administration claims became the norm. Going to the city centre for said accountant Mamdouh Awad. However, he it imposes tight measures to license work or to run any errand had become everybody’s agreed with Mr Fawzi that the parking fees in taxi vehicles so as to ensure their nightmare. I think the scene is starting to change public garages are too high. “An average EGP30 technical viability and safety on the now,” he said. for an 8-hour wait which is unsustainable on the road, as well as strict driving tests average employee’s budget,” he said. to license the drivers. The drivers Upscale shopping centre? “The sayiss (valet parking boy) is the solution,” themselves confirm and complain Khaled Mustafa, spokesman for Cairo governorate, said Ahmed Adel. “I take daily courses at a of the stringent measures. Yet the told Watani that the governorate was working hard university in the vicinity of Tahrir Square. Parking manner in which they navigate the to develop Cairo’s downtown in cooperation with my car on a daily basis in the Tahrir underground streets is nothing if not chaotic and the National Organisation for Urban Harmony using parking would definitely ruin my budget. It is much utterly removed from proper driving the expertise of several architecture professors better for me to park my car in a side street and fundamentals. Their reckless from Egyptian universities and urban development leave it under the care of the sayiss for only EGP5.” driving risks the lives of passengers, experts. “We started our work, ” Mr Mustafa said, other drivers, and pedestrians. “by giving the buildings a fresh coat of paint, They overindulge in verbal and Heading towards prosperity removing street vendors, and imposing a parking behavioural abuse. If passengers Mai Mahmoud, also a student, said that at first she ban in the major streets. We allocated alternative attempt to object or express concern, parked her car in one of the nearby parking spaces they get abused themselves or even spots for the street vendors, close to but not inside because she was afraid it would be ruined if left on kicked out of the taxi midway to the city centre. These changes were met with the streets and she wanted to avoid the harassments their destination. Gone is the time unexpected approval especially from Downtown of the street’s sayiss; however, this didn’t turn out to when, some sixty years ago, tact and shop owners and residents. We also made sure there be a good idea because the prices are so high. “The discipline governed the behaviour of was an abundance of parking spaces such as in the parking fees may be convenient for those who park Cairo taxi drivers. Attaba and Bustan parking garages, and the recently their car for an hour or two, but to park for a whole day Despite the arrogant condescension opened Tahrir underground parking.