Driving In Tunis

I've made a few references to the driving conditions here ... so I thought I would show a short video on a typical day of driving.  This street is called La Soukra Road, kind of in a popular shopping district.  So this would be like MacLeod Trail in Calgary or Douglas Street in Victoria.  Notice that the drivers typically have their arms out of their windows.  It seems to me that subtle hand and arm gestures are required driving aids (actually used to communicate politely rather than simply gesture).  The cars get jammed up like this on occasion, but somehow it is never for very long and one is not "stuck" in traffic nearly as much as we experience in our Canadian cities.  

It is very common is to see pedestrians walking amongst the vehicles, even when traffic is moving! Even though there are signs, stop-lights and painted lines on the road, all of these are completely ignored.  It is more uncommon to see someone stop at a red light than pass through.  Always check both ways as traffic always goes both ways - even on a one-way.  And if you are walking on the sidewalk, be wary ... still fair game for traffic flow.  A driver may opt to use the additional space of the sidewalk to get past some traffic congestion,  

And I'm not even sure why they bother to paint lines on the roads as absolutely no one sticks to one lane.  Not so much an issue when traffic is congested like in this video.  But can be rather disconcerting when on a roadway where the traffic is moving along.  Kind of looks like everyone is driving while "under the influence".  Except it's just another normal commuting day for the locals.