Boom and gloom: Egypt's new traffic law brings business and fear

A new traffic law aimed at easing chronic congestion in Egypt has scared off some drivers who fear heavy fines, driven others to expect to pay higher bribes, and even sparked a business boom.

The law, which came into effect on August 1, has seen an unprecedented crackdown on violations in a country where conventional traffic protocol generally gives way to a more Darwinian approach to motoring.

More than 4.1 million cars jostle for space on poorly planned roads, with drivers openly flouting the rules. Now many of them believe the new law is an excuse for the authorities to show a heavy hand.

Mohammed Abbas, 24, refuses to use his car fearing the suspension of his driving licence if he continues to drive without tail lights which he says he cannot afford to fix right now.

The government has flexed its motoring muscles since the law came in, with daily reports in the official press of thousands of tickets issued alongside photographs of offenders.

"The law will bring order to our streets and safeguard lives and property," Deputy Interior Minister Sherif Gomaa told reporters before August 1, saying that the law would be "firmly and mercilessly enforced."

But many motorists are convinced that the strict enforcement witnessed in the early days will eventually be overtaken by the lax attitude of before -- and see traffic cops pushing to extort larger sweeteners.

"The problem is that officers already find any excuse to stop us. Now it just means they have more excuses," taxi driver Ahmed Hussein told AFP.

"I used to give a traffic policeman 20 Egyptian pounds (3.7 dollars) to look the other way, but now I'll have to double that," said Hussein whose taxi was illegally double-parked on a main Cairo thoroughfare.

Traffic congestion, especially in cities, led to a system within the chaos: double-parking was common practice and double-parked drivers left the handbrake off to allow others to push their cars out of the way.

Under the new regulations those caught double parking will have their driving licences confiscated.

Not wearing a seatbelt or talking on a mobile phone could mean a fine of 300 Egyptian pounds (56 dollars, 38 euros), while driving in the wrong direction on a one-way street could cost 3,000 pounds (560 dollars).

-- Why are drivers now expected to be doctors? --

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And the prospect of a six-month jail term now hangs over anyone suspected of "acts of public indecency in a car".

"So now they will confiscate our licences and we'll have to pay baksheesh (a bribe) to get the licence back. It's no use, we Egyptians will never change our ways," Hussein said.

One of the most criticised aspects of the new law is the requirement for all cars to have a first aid kit.

This must contain antiseptic, sterilised gauze, medical gloves, a torch, an ice bag that is activated when rubbed, bandages, special bandage for bone fractures, cotton and scissors.

"The kits must come in rust-resistant boxes and be clearly marked in Arabic," according to leaflets issued by the government.

It has given drivers a three-month grace period to buy the kits after confusion over the contents and criticism about the price (around 90 Egyptian pounds -- 17 dollars, 11.5 euros) flooded the local press.

"Why are drivers now expected to be doctors? Most people wouldn't know what to do with a first aid kit, let alone how to deal with someone who's been hurt in an accident," 39-year-old Cairo GP Hassan Ismail told AFP.

"It seems that the purpose of the new Traffic Law is not to dispel the traffic chaos, but rather to introduce new fines to swell the resources of the Ministry of Interior," railed an editorial in the English-language Egyptian Gazette, amid rumours that powerful government-linked businessmen were selling the first aid kits.

Drivers are also required to have a reflective warning triangle, the production of which has boomed since parliament passed the new law in June.

Triangles which used to sell for about 10 Egyptian pounds (1.8 dollars) have become big business and now cost up to 75 pounds. They can be bought anywhere from petrol stations to traffic lights where street vendors tout their wares.

Despite a new-found prosperity for some, for others the law spells disaster. Cab driver Mahmud Badawi, 58, now has until 2011 to sell his 1984 Lada and find another way to make a living after his cab was deemed too old.

Drivers of cars more than 20 years old have three years to get their vehicles off the road and replace them with new ones. To help, the government is offering a loan of 15,000 Egyptian pounds (2,816 dollars).

But Badawi says if he sold his cab now it would fetch around 5,000 pounds (942 dollars), and even with a government loan he would never have enough for a new car.

"I have no idea what to do. It's not like I can find a new career," he said.

Analysts say the law was not well thought-out, and tries to apply foreign rules without considering needs and challenges peculiar to Egypt.

The law shows a "complete disassociation from reality," political analyst Amr Choubaki wrote in the independent daily Al-Masri Al-Youm.

"The issue here is a breakdown of public performance and of the crumbling and corrupt administration," he said. "We don't need a new law, we needed the old one to be implemented."

Egyptian roads are among the most dangerous in the world. Around 6,000 people die each year in accidents and 30,000 are injured, according to transport ministry figures.