Driving in Dar es Salaam

Upper left is the "mwendokasi" public bus and a collection of representative Dar es Salaam traffic photos

One of my least favorite things in Tanzania has to be driving in Dar es Salaam. Dar es Salaam is a large city with around 7 million people. I am nearly always based in a 50 km2 (31 miles) grid and inside those areas there are only a few multi-lane roads. These leads to densely occupied roads of not only cars but also bijajis and most hectic, the motorcycles. This does not account for the men dragging two wheel carts by hand, pedestrians, traffic police, construction teams, public transport conductors, truly an endless variety of transport means and methods. 

To make things worse for myself, I'm used to the sleepy Iringa traffic. Heck, we don't even have a traffic light in Iringa town. So when I arrive to the bustling Dar es Salaam and cut-throat traffic maneuvers, I'm often left initially aghast like some old granny trying to slowly merge into a lane only to have continuous flow of aggressive drivers cutting her off. It takes a moment to get into the Dar es Salaam mindset until it shifts so far along the spectrum that you need to again remind yourself: better to be slow, but safe. The last thing you want is to be involved in a fender bender or minor scratch. Insurance providers here are notoriously dodgy and unless it's a very serious accident it's the norm to simply negotiate with the other driver. Depending on your perceived culpability and the others drivers approach (fair dealing or milk for all its worth?), this can be an incredibly stressful and difficult situation to deal with.

The other day I had a rather "normal "Dar es Salaam drive that I felt was totally representative of the perils one faces on the road here. 

I drew a box around the area of what is Dar es Salaam proper (

Total area: 52.79 km² (20.38 mi²)

. The little bit jutting out is called the Peninsula and it's the most affluent area of Dar es Slaam.

I was picking up a vehicle from near to the Tazara Railway, which is on Julius K. Nyerere Rd, one of the main veins running from the airport to downtown, to Rose Garden in Mikocheni, a neighborhood in the north of the town. I would have to basically cross through the city but not necessarily pass through downtown. This is a 15km (9.3 miles) route that Google Maps predicted would be 30 minutes. If you want to have an indicator of mobile phone and data penetration in emerging markets, Google Maps traffic accuracy may be a good proxy. And you will see that Google Maps has no idea how to estimate drive times in the chaos that is Dar es Salaam. 

Even before my journey I faced one of the common challenges on the road here. On my way over we were stopped for 15 minutes to allow for a government dignitary to pass. This happens all over Tanzania for a variety of politicians from the president to local ministers. It's often a flex of power which is extremely annoying as smaller dignitaries frequently cause traffic to stop for up to a half hour. I had annoying chosen a motorcycle taxi and was left roasting in the sun on the open road which possibly primed my state of mind for the upcoming journey. It was kind of cool when the motorcade passed and a fleet of motorcycles at the front of the line took off like the start of a racing event. I felt like I was either in a race or part of a biker gang with literally dozens of motorcyclists eager to hit the open road after the long wait.

My journey started at 3pm, which I thought was enough time to avoid the major traffic exodus from downtown outwards. However, immediately after turning onto a main road I was stuck behind a long line of lorries. Massive trucks with trailers and containers clogged up the road and it took 10 minutes to merge onto the main road. After finally merging I was immediately at a standstill for 5-10 minutes. There was an overpass being constructed at the intersection so you can imagine how congested that intersection was if it necessitated an overpass and now it was under construction. Trucks creaked through and traffic police directed the traffic as hustlers touts weaved in and out of traffic hawking wares. 

I love the variety of wares the hawkers have and I often feel like there are distinct trends and gluts of randomly specific products. The current item of the month were weird Asian style knives that had a sheath, something a ninja in a low budget movie would have. The touts are a subject I should cover in a separate post as the world of the street touts is fascinating. There are also disabled folks and street children begging for money, as well as an increasing amount of uninvited window washers. They are nowhere near as extortionate or aggressive as some other cities in the world but it can still lead to an uncomfortable experience. 

After about a half hour and half kilometer I was still stopped in standstill traffic. I was looking at my phone for a bit and suddenly someone knocked on the window. A plainclothes gentleman with two others behind him informed me that I was parked on the train tracks and it was illegal. I glanced behind me and saw that I was indeed parked on extremely faint and dated tracks that were only partially visible at various points. There were modern and used tracks a few meters behind it. The guy shouted at me to bring my car over to the side and that it was really illegal what I was doing. I pushed back and said I had done nothing wrong and that I would like to see some ID as I noticed his clothes were totally normal clothes. He quickly showed me an ID card that was from the railway line but it had the position as a cleaner. He expertly pulled the card away quickly and I played along for a little longer. He became insistent that I give him my driving license and I knew once he got a hold of a personal item he would have all the leverage. This guy was clearly impersonating a person of authority and if I pulled over him and his pals would have me cornered. I spoke more forcefully and told him that I read his ID, even the position, and that if I had done something wrong I apologize but he needed to stop his nonsense. As if on cue, the traffic started moving and before he could rebuttal I had rolled up my window and pulled away. 

I breathed a sigh of relief. For a split second I thought I was screwed but I was glad I caught on fast. I've had several of these scams happen to me in Tanzania, mainly in Arusha and Dar. One time some guys in Arusha tried to tell me that the leaking air conditoning water was contaminating the road and that I needed to pay a fine. They were super aggressive and intimidating. I am a pretty assertive person but I can't imagine what it's like for more passive people to have to deal with these con artists. 

Just as we finally passed through the intersection and traffic started to open up I got stuck behind a convoy carrying a huge piece of industrial equipment. The convoy was clogging the road with several "LARGE VEHICLE AHEAD" signs affixed on the escort vehicle roofs. The main load carrier was driving at a seemingly imperceptible speed and for whatever reason the convoy was blocking the front, back, and all sides. I was part of an angry wall forming behind them with other cars being much more aggressive trying to weave through them. We finally managed to overwhelm them and break their formation but it was a good 10 or 15 minutes of a snails pace. It was excruciating to see the open road ahead but no way to circumvent the convoy. 

After that obstacle I then hit the Milimani City Mall area which was especially crowded with hustlers. I always try to support the guys selling stuff on the street even if it is of spurious quality. I feel for their circumstances and for the most part the majority are insistent but respectful. I'm sure there are some mental health issues that cause some interactions to become more uncomfortable than others but I also think it's important in a way to have society on full display so that hopefully the country can provide the social support they need. 

I should note that traffic police in Dar es Salaam direct traffic during peak hours in the morning and evening which can result in some very long wait times. I don't know if there is a method to their madness but it is just that, total madness. 

I finally reached my destination one hour and thirty minutes later. To be totally honest, this trip would largely be forgotten in a few months as a totally average journey across Dar es Salaam. But when I got back I thought one of these "normal" excursions should be documented for posterity. I also do want to give a shout out to the late Magafuli because he completed several big infrastructure projects in Dar es Salaam that have greatly eased traffic at many points. There used to be no overpasses and only two lane roads but the commuter bus (with exclusive lane to ensure smooth movement) and other projects have made things much smoother for all those on the road.