Driving in Accra is insane. Or, rather, the Ghanaian drivers are insane and we foreigners adapt, just as we do in everything else -- meaning we become crazy, too. This is the first time I've driven in Africa, and while I've seen nutso driving in Addis Ababa and Cairo, I've never done any of the driving myself -- I could just close my eyes and let the driver worry about it, while I sucked in my breath, gasped, and grabbed the "OMG" bar above the door.
Even though on paper Ghana traffic laws are pretty strict, and the insurance and safety requirements are pretty hefty (e.g., you have to carry a fire extinguisher and road hazard triangles), the Ghanaian drivers (at least here in Accra) have absolutely no respect for others' rights. They'll stay in lanes and obey traffic lights if it suits them. If not, they'll form a new lane which may or may not be going in the same direction as the rest of the traffic. If you want to cross an intersection, well, you just pull up and nudge forward until the oncoming car HAS to stop (or hit you). Since it's always the person behind you at fault (i.e., you should have been paying attention and applied your brakes), cars weave in and out with impunity. The "tro-tros" (public transport vans) are particularly guilty of this -- whoops! Here's a stop! Gotta move over. Okay, I'm done, gotta move back into traffic! Pass on the right? Of course!
The traffic in Accra is horrendous, especially during "rush hours". My office is 7 minutes from my apartmennt - - on Sunday mornings. Week mornings and evenings it's at least half an hour, if not 45 minutes. But if you don't like waiting in traffic -- no problem. Just cut ACROSS the street and go the OPPOSITE way until you can CROSS BACK and cut back into the line!
Are there traffic lights? Yes. Are they where they should be? Not necessarily. And when they're not working, which is often, yes, there are police. At least two, more often three at an intersection. They're either sitting down and just waving you through, or standing in the street, not paying attention to each other so nothing is coordinated. I can go, right? Well, that guy is waving...okay, me? My turn? Oh, no? Well, HE's going and...oh, the hell with it!
Speaking of people in the street, that's another big item here. All along the most frequently traveled city streets there are vendors, and they're IN the street. They're selling everything from mobile phone calling cards to toilet paper to water to plastic junk to food, all of which they carry on their heads! Actually, it's the women more than the men who do that. I pass each day a woman who carries a complete boutique on her head -- brushes, shoe polish, cosmetics, etc. They're usually between the lines of cars but they also duck in front of, behind, and around them...as do pedestrians who pay absolutely no attention to the "zebra crossings" (crosswalks). Well, to be fair, the drivers don't pay much attention to the pedestrians who do, so...
And the honking. It's not really rude, aggressive and constant as it is, say, in Cairo...but it is a "language" as one woman suggested to me, that says "I'm here, I'm first, I want it MY way, let me get in." Now, you grandkids know I love to honk, so actually I'm pretty comfortable with this part of the car culture...!! :)
Then there are the "officials" -- diplomats, ministers (heads of government departments), police, military, or official wannabes who decide they're too good for waiting in traffic, so they just put on their lights and create their own center lane, zooming ahead. I think I mentioned how we created that scenario once in a project car (a BIG no-no!!) in my "Minister of the Ridiculous" blog...
Speaking of the ridiculous: the parking lot attendants. These guys are hired to basically watch cars in small parking areas in front of businesses, and then they "help" you get back into traffic. But the culture of "helping" drivers here is a bit odd. The helper stands directly behind your car, or off to the side in your "blind spot", and expects you to be watching him instead of the traffic through your mirrors. Well, of course if you watch the guy, you're going to back up right into an oncoming car. And if you look at the traffic, you're going to run over the guy. I've just resorted to opening my window and calling out, "That's okay, sir, thank you. I can drive." (I was told at work that I was the object of some marvel among the drivers and guards who were amazed I could actually just zip in and out of my parking spot -- all by myself!)
Okay, about that bribe. First, dear grandbrood, one of the realities of many poor countries is that publicly paid employees get paid very little and augment their income by abusing their modest authority and collecting a bribe to do so. This is what happened to me my first night driving back from work to my apartment. There is an intersection that has two traffic lights, one for traffic going one way, a second for traffic going another. I got confused and ended up going through the red light first, in order to proceed through the second light, which was green. (Even at four years old, Kirra and Caden, you know the difference.)
A policeman saw me and told me to pull over. They don't carry guns and they're on foot, and frankly, if you just drive off they can't really do anything. But they do have quite a scam. He told me to pull over which I did, feeling very guilty. He knocked on my window and I opened it and he motioned me to let him sit in the car. Not knowing if this were proper or not, I did. Mistake. Then he asked for my driver's license, and wouldn't you know, I didn't have it ! I couldn't believe that I had actually left it in another wallet! Second mistake. So now he has the upper hand. He's young, and nice enough (and receives a phone call to "make sure" that he's going to arrest me), and says he can make things easier for me if I give him "something" for the "big man" (i.e., the boss). I clucked, "But this is illegal. You're asking me to do something illegal." He agreed (!), but said it was a lot less expensive than if I got arrested (true). So, gave him 20 cedis (about $14). Third mistake. He wanted more, but I said that was all I had. (I lied.) He let me go. I really got off pretty easily, though, because I didn't yet have any of the official papers or car insurance or anything I now have.
I told a couple of locals about this later and they laughed uproariously, enumerating my mistakes, telling me how to handle it next time, even if I'm again in the wrong. Of course, in this car culture, that doesn't make any difference. I've been driving now for a couple of weeks. Look out, honk! honk! Here I come!
xxoxox Love, Grammy
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