The horrors of the daily commute

Photo by Business Week

As my flatmate and I were driving our daily 30 km commute to AUC's new campus in New Cairo this Monday, we faced extrodinary obstacles to get to our class on time.

Since the semester started, we already got used to the dangerous roads, the unforseeable speedbumps and the crazy Egyptian way of driving on the highway. But what made life difficult for us this time, was a huge traffic jam at the exit of the highway.

For no obvious reason, cars were standing still. In the midst of it all we spotted students and faculty in their cars and on the AUC shuttle busses. And no policeman in sight.

As we stood there, a car almost crashed into us on our left side, which my flatmate tried to avoid by going right, overlooking the bus that was to our right and now moved towards us, smashing the side of my flatmate's car. The driver who caused all that, didn't really care. Instead he screamed it was our fault and carried on driving, ignoring that he had just cost my flatmate at least L.E. 100 for repair.

When the AUC moved out into the middle of the desert, the administration neglected to make sure that students actually get to campus safely. The New Cairo roads that lead to campus are unsafe and an area of martial law.

With no policemen in sight, drivers are racing each other or hit-and-run after they hit another car.

On top of that, the hundreds of construction workers who work in the area are standing in the middle of the streets, making the way to campus an obstacle drive for students and faculty.

Aside from the people that stand on the road and kamikaze drivers, big holes and unpaved segments pose a challenge for cars and drivers.

As I see it, AUC has to find a way to enforce some basic traffic rules around its campus. People driving in wrong directions, racing each other and doing other crazy things... This has to stop.