Cairo choking on its own traffic

Cairo, Africa’s most populous city, and the biggest in the Arab world, can be a fascinating place to visit, but don’t expect to get anywhere in a hurry.

Cairo is a rapidly expanding city, which has led to many problems, among them horrendous traffic snarls at all hours of the day.

Leaving aside the pollution problems this causes (a mysterious black cloud is said to appear over Cairo every fall, causing serious respiratory diseases and eye irritations for the city's citizens) it also adds minutes, often hours, to any cross-town journey.

And it makes crossing the road something akin to a near-death experience.

http://www.globalpost.com/notebook/egypt/090226/cairo-choking-its-own-traffic