Nairobi has just seen the installation of red light cameras in the CBD. This has come hand in hand with digital traffic lights with counters.
If you thought the age old habit of jumping the red light would stop, then you're mistaken. Drivers continuing to drive even when the counter is red, at times with just a few seconds to green, is the norm not the exception.
The result is a traffic jam that is not moving. Vehicles from all directions block each other's way all the time.
This video was taken from Moi Avenue. You can see the counter is red, but no one is stopping. The traffic camera flashes endlessly, as it takes the number plates of the vehicles breaking the rules. In this 20 second clip, the camera flashes more than 10 times, translating to more than 10 rogue drivers.
As a result of the madness, the intersection at Imenti House becomes a crowded parking lot.
It remains to be seen when the rogue drivers will start receiving tickets in their mail boxes, but perhaps we'll first have to reinvigorate Posta.
Source: nairobiwire
