Living in Peru : your everyday companion

By Ivana Zdravkovic

The sun rises above the cemented jungle. And the city is awake. Although we don’t see the rays behind the grey curtain, we can hear the daily noise warming up and rushing through the streets of Lima. While growing up in this juicy city, I participated in a very adventurous task: driving lessons. I made it through the lesson part easily, so I became an official street fighter inside a four wheel vehicle.

Traffic in Lima is either dreadful or exciting. It depends on your state of mind or the role you get to play on the streets. ¿Pedestrian, passenger, biker, or driver? Usually, if your goal is to cross the street, your “pedestrian rights” disappear instantly. In the driver’s view, those who dare to step off the sidewalk are always standing in the wrong place, always crossing too slow, always exposing themselves to danger. If you chose to play the “passenger” you will definitely get squeezed and squashed. The “biker” is a risky choice, especially while attempting to reach the other side of a bigger avenue; and the “driver” is the constant menace, the wizard and a knight in his hard and shiny armour, or a dull patched armour.

Every day we dive into this swarm of rushing cars, buses and vans. Most of the time we hate it but we refuse to deny it because it’s part of us, it’s out way of living, it’s our culture, our one and only traffic jam.

TAXI RIDE

It is not always yellow. Sometimes it’s not even a taxi. To fight the doubts always check the big sticker in front that makes the notorious difference “to be or not to be a taxi”. As if it’s not enough to bargain at the market, we also do it with the taxi drivers. The basic method is to stop the vehicle in the middle of the street and discuss the price over an open window. If you are not pleased and you would rather pay a “sol” less, then you can pick another while the new ones are lining up and blocking everybody else. If you choose to walk on the streets of Lima don’t be surprised by the persistent short sound of a taxi horn following you. They are not trying to say “hello”, they are trying to pick you up, and twist your mind by making you believe you really need a ride. If you choose not to, and you are a lady passing by, they will blow you a loud kiss to seal the moment. For those who need a desperate ride, you most likely won’t find one because sometimes taxis are not heading in the same direction as you. And don’t mind the ripped seats and riding in the trunk, the only thing that matters is to have a seatbelt on. Safety first!

TRAFFIC FIGHT

It’s red or green, almost never yellow. Considered a decorative object and interpreted in many different ways. When the red is on, people understand that it’s their last chance to pass through it. I think it stands for “immediate rush” or even better “immediate crash”. The green one is like a sleeping pill. You look at it and then decide that it is time to move even though you don’t do it right away, until you get pushed by the harsh insults and intense traffic sounds that scream behind you. It seams that the Stop sign is hard to read sometimes, probably because it’s written in Spanish? Or is it because people are too lazy to stop?

MICRO TREAT

It’s wild out there but you will never know the real meaning of wild until you climb onto a micro. Those are my favorite. At the same time it’s a city sport. The race is on and the game is aggressive. The one who picks up the most passengers wins. Rules don’t apply, you just need to grab onto something or someone. Inside you’ll get the simulator experience, action, bumping, neon lights and speedy music. The best thing is that you can get off whenever and wherever you wish. There are no buttons to be pressed, just shout! The main recommendation is to jump out slowly, carry around coins and mind the claustrophobia. You get used to it.

HAPPY TOGETHER?

People get used to almost everything. At the end our messy traffic is a reflection of our messy transport department, bad quality training for future drivers and a lack of leadership to assume a change. The problem won’t be solved by buying new buses, nor cars. The mistakes multiply where there is no education to fill in the methods of behaviour. There is no discipline to follow, no respect between drivers and towards the pedestrians. We are constantly running over the rules. Why?

I read somewhere that an adult person who uses public transport spends ten years of his/her life in traffic. Isn’t that enough time to think of something to make it better? How would you transform our traffic marmalade? Help!

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7 Comments

# sarah says :
29 September, 2007 [ 08:25 ]

Hi Ivana.........Transform traffic marmalade, in Lima?? a very difficult question............many,many things would have to change.  Keep on going, Good article.

# Limena says :
30 September, 2007 [ 04:40 ]

You haven't experienced Lima, until you ride a micro! Excellent article, congratulations!

# Ivana Zdravkovic says :
19 October, 2007 [ 06:46 ]

Looking for something about me via Internet I found out how is traffic in Peru. And you wrote about it one day before my birthday, so I thought it is not coincidence and here I am writing comment. Nice to know somebody named like you is doing something in Peru. All the best!

# Katty Rozas says :
23 October, 2007 [ 04:49 ]

Great Article!!! keep up the good work.  Now, how to transform our traffic marmalade?... that is a though question.  Lima's traffic has been like that for a very long time.  Before the traffic changes, people's mentality and attitude will have to change.

# mani kanna says :
16 June, 2008 [ 05:25 ]

Oh! the nightmare that is traffic,but just think for a moment how much reading can be done in waiting.
...................................
mani kanna
Need traffic?Need SEO  and backlinks?http://widecircles.com</a>

# john says :
9 July, 2008 [ 05:47 ]

<a href="http://google.com">Example</a>

# do says :
17 July, 2008 [ 08:59 ]

buena descripción ivana. espero encontrar (o que alguien encuentre)una solucion antes del fin de mi vida. al menos hasta ahora no ha sido asi. a la fecha solo se me ha ocurrido hacer un videojuego de autos: Lima Race, a extreme experience

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