The way they drive here in Rwanda it is surprising that half the population is not killed on the roads every day.
The roads are fine in the capital, but outside soon you come across potholed windy roads that are made worse by the rain. Because the country is so mountainous there are few direct roads from town to town.
If the British had colonised Rwanda instead of the Belgiums they would at least they would have trains like in Uganda and India. (They would also be speaking English!!!)
For now they have very few decent roads. For instance when we went from the north west to the north east – to grandmas – a journey of 120 miles, we had to first travel south to the capital in the middle of the country, change buses, and then go east and then north again. Had there been a direct road the journey would have taken less than half the time. In fact it took us six hours on bumpy, rocky roads, in crowded, hot, mini bus taxis, where even the central aisle have fold down seats and people fall asleep in your lap!
Also on these roads are heavy lorries with double containers that chug chug up the hills, holding up all behind them. The moto bike drivers weave in and out, avoiding the potholes and traffic coming in the other direction.
Minibus taxis wait and wait, veering to the middle of the road to see if they can pass, only to move back again. Then they overtake on blind bends and we have our hearts in our mouths. Another problem is that some vehicles are left-hand drive, and others right hand drive. The Japanese have a market in second hand cars, and these vehicles that exported to other countries, such as Africa which drive on the right hand side. Some of these vehicles are right hand drive, others left hand drive. In Rwanda traffic drives on the right, which makes it dangerous for a right-hand drive car to overtake, as it has to pull out further to see what is ahead – but often they drive in the middle to avoid the rubble-y cratered pot holes.
There is also the complication of the black African night with little electricity to light up the roads in the rural areas, no cat’s eyes or road markings. Also there are often people walking in the dark down the side of the narrow twisty roads, whose figures loom up in the darkness as the headlights pick them out.
The state of the vehicles is also a worry as many do not seem very roadworthy, with black smoke emanating from the exhausts. These vehicles work hard every day going up and down the steep hills, often with large loads or many passengers. Sometimes the middle, aisle seats, are so battered that you feel that the tiny back on the fold down seat is reclining so far back your head could be resting on the knees of the guy behind. And the backs of these little seats also dig into your body – made worse by sudden moves by the driver when overtaking, rocking you from side to side, and jerking you back onto the metal frame. We have also yet to travel on a minibus-taxi that does not have a cracked windscreen. Auto glass would have a field day out here.
Seatbelts!! I don’t think they know what they are for. Some jeeps have seat belts but do not work. Some minibus taxi conductors put us umuzunge in the front seats, crammed up to the driver, sometimes turfing out the Rwandese who have already claimed these seats. I think they feel they are doing us a favour, but with no seat belts, we would be straight through the windscreen should there be an accident
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Regularly the minibus taxis, the cheapest way to get around this small country, stop at a refreshment stop and people get off and re-board with bread, hot snacks and beer, which they drink en route. Another minibus taxi suddenly stopped in the dark one night. The driver got out and went into some trees, then about five other men got out and lined up on the grass verge in view of the headlights doing a pee. There were houses nearby and I wondered if anyone was looking out of the window. What a sight!
Having bought your ticket for the minibus-taxi you wait and wait for it to come. And when it does there is an almighty crush as everyone elbows you out of the way to get the best seat. Women with babies on their backs and huge bags of groceries, and others with large packages are pushed out of the way as fit young men, and businessmen in suits fight their way to the front of the queue.
We have seen people bung the driver a fiver to get on the bus when the person has not got a ticket and others who hang around and jump on at the last minute for a free ride if they know the driver.
Often the drivers are on the phone talking or texting whilst negotiating the bendy rough roads. Sometimes the police stop the bus and count the passengers as there is a law that everyone should have a seat, but if this is the last bus of the day, around 6.30pm from the capital, some take a chance just to get home.
There are warnings on Rwandan television about unregistered moto drivers and advice about regular vehicle maintenance, but in a poor country like this it is not surprising that people ignore it. The roads are slowly, slowly, being repaired, but it’s my guess that it will take some years before they are as good as the west.
Until then Rwandan tv will continue to show lorries in ditches on rural roads and smashed motos in the streets.
I WAS AWAKE FOR MY OPERATION!
(Sun 04/03)
Me and Sir Jimmy Savile
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What not to wear!!!
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Rwandan adventure Our sponsored child
(Mon 06/06)
Rwandan Adventure - Lunch Was Alive!
(Mon 23/05)
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