Embracing The Change

Its amazing what a difference a few months makes. Back in May I blogged about all of the construction and one way traffic in my Mons neighborhood. At the time I was still settling in to our new neighborhood, new house and new country and only knew of a limited number of streets that allowed me to move from one place to another. Since then some things have remained the same and others have changed and I'm embracing it all.

What is the same? The road construction. A few roads have reopened but they have been countered by even more closing. It seems that as soon as I figure out how to maneuver through the neighborhood another key road closes and I'm back at square one. Now however, rather than approaching it as a deterrent, I'm using it as an opportunity to explore. After all, it really is not possible to get completely lost here. Confused and driving in circles, yes. Lost, no. And whether on foot or by car I'm discovering even more of the quaint streets, hidden alleys and surprising architecture that Mons has to offer.

And of course, the main road that connects our house to our garage remains closed. I had naively returned from our summer in the States expecting it too be reopened to vehicle traffic. Of course it wasn't and it doesn't appear like it is going to reopen any time soon. (Maybe before we leave in 2017?).  So over the past few months not only have I developed some pretty strong bicep muscles but I've gotten really good and figuring out how much I can buy at the grocery store and carry home in a single trip. Which is a good thing because things are getting even more interesting; hence the what has changed.

As of Monday morning, the street in front of our house is completely closed to traffic meaning that for the next couple of months there is no way to drive through our neighborhood. In typical Belgian form we were notified of this closure the morning it occurred. But this time, instead of thinking about how we might be inconvenienced by this change, I shrugged it off indifferently. After all we've gotten really good and carrying things up and down the hill. And besides, with the road closed the steady stream of cars--from parents dropping off and picking their children up at the music school across the street from our house; from drivers seeking shortcuts, and those lost soles who aren't quite sure how to get out of the one-way maze that is Mons--has all but ceased. No longer are cargo vans squeezing between the parked cars and our living room windows giving a whole new meaning to the term "reach out and touch someone".

So at the moment I'm enjoying the forced walk on the car free streets. When I do think that it might be nice to have the convenience of being able to pull up to my front door I quickly realize that having that luxury is such an American ideal. Here in Belgium, as is the case in so much of Europe, people of all ages, from the youngest toddlers to the frailest elderly, make their way up and down the streets going about their business. A lack of parking, convenient or not, rarely deters a European from going where they want. Its actually quite liberating to not worry about where you can park your car; you find a place or better yet, rely upon public transportation.

I'm sure the traffic on my street as well as the neighboring ones will return. But at the moment I'm going to enjoy my little traffic free world.

One Way...The Wrong Way

Mons is not that large of a city. With an area of just over 56 square miles and a population of 93,000 it is actually quite small. Mons proper is compact; I can easily walk from one side of the city to the other in a short time. Like many urban centers, this one is enclosed by a ring road that circles the city. Unlike most ring roads however, this one only moves in a one way, clockwise direction. In theory this ring of traffic makes it easy to circumnavigate the city and with strategically placed exit ramps it is easy to reach the most popular or important places within the city. And this is good, since the inner core of the city has limited parking and is a maze of narrow, one way cobblestoned streets whose layout makes no sense to me.

We live inside the ring road in the city center on a narrow one way street. Our secured garage and parking space is a block away on another one way cobblestoned street. We are fortunate that the exit off of the ring road is just a few short blocks from our house meaning under normal circumstances we can easily hop off the ring and to our house and / or our garage. It sounds simple enough, right? Of course not.

In anticipation of Mons being designated as a European Capital of Culture in 2015, the city is undergoing a renaissance of sorts with buildings being renovated, historical sites are being refurbished and many of the city's inner roads are being resurfaced with fresh cobblestones or pavers. Even the city's train station is being rebuilt from the ground up. It is actually all quite exciting and I can't wait to see how it all turns out. But in the meantime, we are essentially living in a construction zone of one way streets. And with one way streets you can only go.......one way. I think you know where I am going with this.

Several of the streets in our neighborhood have been closed since we moved into our house. (We should have taken it as a sign when our GPS failed us on our first attempt to visit the house). While their closures continues to confuse our GPS we've learned to navigate our way around the blockages and know how to get in and out of our neighborhood somewhat efficiently. Many of the closed streets actually run parallel but not adjacent to each other making it easy to go in one direction but virtually impossible to move in the other direction. But somehow we're muddling through and keep telling ourselves that there is a light at the end of the tunnel; just imagine how easy it will be to get around once all of the streets reopen. But then the city did something unthinkable, it closed a key (to us) one way street in our neighborhood.

The route between our house and our garage is up a narrow hill. The walk is a block away and unless I am hauling bagfuls of groceries, it isn't that bad. Actually, I will often live park in front of the house to off load my bags then drive right up the hill to park. But this is the road they closed meaning my short drive no longer exists. The closure came out of nowhere on a Thursday afternoon. One of the old brick mansions is being renovated and because buildings in the neighborhood lack setbacks, the only place to set the construction dumpster is in the middle of the street. Hence the closure. At first we thought it would only closed for a day or even a few days at most. After all, it is a city street. No such luck. As it stands now the road will be closed at least until the end of June. Yes June. That means a good six to seven weeks of no easy vehicle access from our house to our car. On the off chance we are able to find a parking space in front of our house we would have to drive a round about route to get out of the neighborhood. Or if we can't find a parking space, which is more often than not the case, we need to drive around for a good twenty minutes or so to get back to our garage (which is only one block away).

With this closure I've discovered that if I am to obey the flow of traffic the only way out of our neighborhood is along a round about route that takes us directly through the center of the city. In the morning it could easily add twenty minutes or so onto our commute. Unless it is Friday. That is the day of the largest market in Mons and the market takes place directly on the route I need to drive to get out of the neighborhood. In other words, the entire stretch of road is closed from the early morning hours well into the afternoon. I found this out the hard way when I was trying to navigate my way out of the neighborhood to pick Sidney up from school. Between the road blocks and traffic it took me over an hour to go the short eight kilometers I was trying to travel. It's a good thing I left early so I was only a few minutes late!

I keep telling myself that there has to be other ways to get in and out of the neighborhood but after my neighborhood walks and hours spent scrutinizing Google Maps I'm thinking there really isn't. So in many ways we are simply trapped. But all is not lost; I'm building up my biceps by lugging groceries from the garage and I'm putting many miles under my feet as I canvas the neighborhood in search of that elusive one way street that moves in the right direction. And if all else fails, I can just wait until the end of June for the street to re-open. Life will really be easy then.

Ah, these are the joys of city living. Despite it all, however, I'm not sure I would trade it for anything.

Rules Of The Road

Traffic fatalities are a problem in Albania.  According to the Albanian Ministry of Health, traffic accidents are one of the leading causes of death in this tiny Balkan country.  Here, victims of traffic accidents account for the highest percentage of emergency room usage with incidents of traffic related accidents being 3.5% higher here than they are in the rest of Eastern and Central Europe and aren't showing any signs of decreasing.  The U.S. Department of State warns American citizens of the dangers of Albanian roads both as a driver and as a pedestrian (since hit and run incidents are all too common).  Even in conversations with Albanians I've noticed a reluctant acceptance as though traffic fatalities are just a way of life here.  We hear of fatalities in the news, communities mourn and bury their dead, then life and driving habits seem to continue on a normal.  More likely than not, people will cite the weather or conditions of the roads as the cause of the problem (yes, they are bad) rather than the speeding and distracted driver, the lack of safe vehicles, or the unsecured passengers.  Just this past week the death of a sitting member of Parliament in a traffic accident has pushed this issue back into the news.  One can only hope that such a high level death will be bring about the changes that are needed to put a halt to this easily preventable epidemic.

But the high number of Albanian traffic fatalities can't be attributed to a lack of laws.  In fact, according to information provided by the World Health Organization, Albania has a rather high number of laws on the books that should in fact be reducing the number of traffic accidents and fatalities.  National laws regarding speeding, driving under the influence of alcohol or drugs, the use of child safety seats, and seat belt use for both drivers and passengers are all readily cited as existing in the law books.  The problem, one must surmise, lies in the enforcement, or lack there of, of these laws.  (Actually, Albanians and Albanian Parliament seem to love passing laws; it is enforcing them that becomes the problem.  Albanians are quick to justify actions as there being a law about the said issue yet rarely does anyone say that these said laws are ever enforced).

In the wake of this week's high profile fatality, police officials are stepping forward with statements promising both increased enforcement and increased education.  (This sounds promising, at least).  In fact, it appears that the government has slowly been edging in this direction.  A few weeks ago the police announced that they would now be arresting drunk drivers on the spot rather than issuing them tickets and allowing them to go on their merry way.  Yes, you read that correctly.  While this sounds like a logical and long over due measure, it begs the question as to whether there is a real understanding of the dangers of drinking and driving.  How does issuing a fine yet allowing an inebriated driver to remain behind the wheel make the streets safer?

The lack of enforcement can't be due to a lack of police presence on the streets.  Blue uniform clad officers holding traffic lolly pops are a regular sight all most of Albania's roads.  I often see them standing in the center of intersections holding their citation books and directing traffic with frantic movements of their sticks.  But as I see cars packed with too many passengers speed by them, others drive against the flow of traffic, and still more drivers create new lanes of traffic because there is space to do so, I wonder what laws these officers are actually enforcing.  I have witnessed what appears to be an increase in enforcement lately---vehicles driving the wrong way during our short morning commute are getting pulled over more often-- but somehow when I see the arguments that ensure then the police officer simply shrug as the irate driver pulls away, I wonder if this is really enough.

So let's discuss the education component of all this.  There is talk of creating public service announcements to educate drivers as to what traffic signs and signals mean, the purposes of solid lines down the middle of the street, and why you can't just drive and park on sidewalks or any other open space you encounter.  Albania certainly isn't lacking for drivers education schools--you see old Mercedes toting "auto skolle" signs plying all of the country's roads and highways--so it begs the question of what these students are actually learning in class.  Apparently it isn't the importance of obeying speed limits and road rules.  Drivers are quick to use their blinkers before turning or coming into oncoming traffic.  However, in doing so it appears that they think that looking both ways (or either way) is no longer necessary.  (Never making eye contact with other drivers seems to be the one "traffic rule" that everyone obeys).  Drivers here seem to think that if there is space in the road (or sidewalk) they are entitled to drive there even if it means driving into on coming traffic or endangering everyone around them.  All too often I've seen cars driving the wrong way in a traffic circle or into the oncoming lane of a divided highway simply because it appears to be the shortest route between where the car is coming from and where it is heading.  Our own single Albanian traffic accident occurred when the driver of a van backed into us and justified his actions to the police with the excuse that he backed down the street every day.  Since our car didn't suffer any damage the van driver was sent on his way and we were told we should have used our car horn to warn him of our presence.  Really?  I guess the lesson in all of this was that we need to get out of the way of all vehicles since everyone, regardless of the direction in which they are moving, has the right of way.  Does all of this happen because drivers don't know or do they simply not care?

I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen seat belts being worn and more often than not the number of bodies packed into a vehicle far exceeds the number of seats.  Child safety seats are now readily available in Tirana's stores yet I've been told that they take up too much space and wouldn't allow as many passengers to be able to fit into the vehicle.  Instead I regularly see infants and toddlers (sometimes multiple children) sitting on the laps of front seat passengers and even the drivers themselves.  Since the number of vehicles driving around with head indentations on their windshields isn't sending a clear enough message, perhaps there needs to be an education campaign to inform drivers about the basic laws of physics and why it is dangerous to have unsecured passengers in the vehicle.

The entire traffic situation begs the question of which comes first, the chicken or the egg.  Does enforcement (and I mean real enforcement) of the existing laws come first in an attempt to make it safer for everyone in Albanian to move around the country?  Or does the country first undertake a massive education campaign to teach drivers what they need to know in order to navigate the roads safely? Or do both activities take place simultaneously?  How can drivers be held accountable for both their actions and the laws that as drivers, they should know?  In a country that is all about personal responsibility and accountability, doesn't each and every driver have the responsibility to both know and obey the law?

Traffic Jam

Today is the single day of the year that I've learned to dread during my past three Septembers here in Albania.  The third Monday of the month means the start of the Albanian school year for both public primary and secondary schools and as well as the public universities.  After the first day of school students will get themselves their via bus or walking but on this first day, everyone, regardless of age or their physical distance from school, seems to be chauffeured their in private vehicles.  (Hence the traffic jam).  I know I get spoiled during August when everyone flees the city for the beach and the streets are all but deserted regardless of the time of day.  And then, seemingly overnight, everyone has returned to the streets of Tirana causing the inevitable congestion that turns our less than five minute commute from our house to the Embassy into thirty minutes of sheer hell and frustration.  And this year, despite knowing what was coming, was the worst one yet.

 

It was raining when I woke up this morning.  Dark clouds loomed over the city and rain was coming down in buckets.  Traffic is always bad when it is raining.  In addition to the weather problems, this year we have active road construction going on between our house and the Embassy.  On the best of days this often causes traffic to bottleneck and move at a snail's pace.  I should have suspected how bad the traffic was when our normally punctual nanny (she actually always arrives early) arrived a few minutes late saying that the traffic was bad.  I had seen the line slowly snaking down the road when I had peeked out the window earlier but I had assumed that it was just a momentary blip.  Oh how I wish that was the case.  As we pulled out onto the main road I immediately saw how bad it really was.  Traffic simply wasn't moving in either direction. 

 

Actually, I take that back.  Traffic was flowing down the hill in the far left lane that was under construction. Yes, furgons and Mercedes were dodging the construction equipment that despite the heavy rain, was trying to make progress on the new road.  Slowly, ever so slowly we moved down the hill and after some time we saw a bus heading up the road towards us.  But then it had to stop since it was met head on with yet another car that had decided to bypass our long line of traffic and zip down the other lane.  Perhaps the driver thought he was more important than the rest of us but for whatever reason he decided that he wasn't going to sit at a standstill in the long line of cars.  Unfortunately, this is an all too common occurrence in Tirana and only adds to the traffic problems.  Despite his numerous attempts, no one was willing to let him squeeze into the line ahead of them.  Usually someone caves which only perpetuates the bad behavior.  But with the bus unable to move forward, traffic only continued to idle.  Finally we saw a police officer trudging down the hill with an umbrella. Naively I thought that he might be on his way to give the illegal driver a ticket. But because this is Albania, that wasn't the case. Instead the officer ordered a car to create a break for the wrong doer and allowed him into the cue.  And yes folks, this is partially why we have so many traffic problems.

 

But the commute only got worse since we weren't quite half way to the Embassy at this point.  Remember all of the cars that I had said were driving through the active construction zone?  Well, half of them were realizing they shouldn't go any further and were trying to turn around and head back up the hill.  The other half were trying to squeeze across two oncoming lanes of traffic (that really should have only been one lane) to merge into the line heading down the hill. And this inevitably caused more problems.  At one intersection there were cars trying to simultaneously turn right and left which resulted in no one being able to move in any direction. We were so distracted by this mess, with yet another police officer haphazardly standing in the middle of it all, that we almost missed the ten or so people who spontaneously jumped out of their vehicles and ran to what appeared to be a stalled car. But it wasn't a stalled car; rather the car had driven into an open man hole and its tire was now stuck.  The group of men lifted the car out of the hole before returning to their own vehicles.  And then traffic resumed creeping along as though nothing out of the (Albanian) ordinary had happened.

 

And that is the strange thing; vehicle congestion, road hazards that would be unimaginable in the western world, and a blatant disregard for traffic laws coupled with an inability by the police to enforce them are every day occurrences in Albania.  It is not unusual to see vehicles driving in the wrong direction, running red lights, turing left from the right lane and vice versa or speeding by the hapless police officers who attempt to flag them down.  Some days, like today, are simply worse than others.  Hopefully tomorrow will be better.

Tirana By Foot

Busts--and these are the
"friendly" looking ones

I rarely walk in Tirana.  Between the lack of consistent sidewalks and safe infrastructure, the traffic that is just as apt to park and drive on the broken sidewalks as they are to drive on the streets, and the complete disregard for pedestrian safety, (ironically) driving is just a safer option.  That said, when I do drive I am so busy being on the lookout for the a fore mentioned drivers that I usually miss the sights.  I've heard of most of the major sites and have even directed others to them but have never visited most of them myself.  This past weekend, however, I got out and walked and saw a whole new side of the city that I had been missing.

At its heart, Tirana is a former Communist city and that is readily evident where ever you turn.  From the broad main boulevard that runs between the city's two main squares to the vast squares themselves, you can see remnants of the past.  One square, named after the national hero is lush and green and lined with meticulously maintained ministry buildings, museums, and that national opera house.  The other square is a neglected concrete jungle where traffic speeds around parked cars and meandering pedestrians.  Ironically, it is this square that is named for Mother Teresa, who is perhaps the most internationally recognized Albanian in history.  A small and appropriately humble statue of the nun sits in the back corner of the square.  I had always heard that it was there but until I got out and walked I had never actually seen her.  The bronze statue itself was nice but the area immediately surrounding it was dirty, neglected, and covered with glass shards.  It did little to pay homage to her greatness.  And speaking of statues, like all good Communist countries, both current and former, statues are everywhere.  Some are prominent while others are discretely tucked away but all seem to have the same rigid bodies and stern unsmiling faces.

A view from one end of
the boulevard

Beyond the statues, Tirana has other must see landmarks that are best appreciated on foot.  The iconic pyramid, once a grand display of architecture honoring the country's late dictator and now a decrepit and graffiti covered eyesore, speaks to both Albania's past and present.  Tirana's newest memorial pays homage to the country's (recent) dark Communist past in both a whimsical and serious way.  Churches and mosques sit side by side and demonstrate Albania's long history of religious tolerance.  The front facade of the museum of national history boasts a large tiled mosaic depicting Albanian history from ancient to modern times.  Driving by while dodging traffic just doesn't do it justice; it takes standing in front of the building to really appreciate all of the details.

And then there is the every day Tirana.  Walking along the bustling Saturday morning sidewalks I saw shops and cafes I never knew existed--or had only heard about but didn't know where they were located. Some were fancy and others were little more than holes in the wall.  People of all ages were out and about; men both young and old lounged at sidewalk tables while clusters of old women clutching plastic shopping bags hobbled down the sidewalk.  Roma pan handlers shared sidewalk space with young couples pushing pimped out baby strollers which made walking on the narrow and uneven sidewalks even more difficult.  (There are very few curb cuts on any Albanian sidewalks so easy access for all but the most mobile is non-existent).  Street vendors selling everything from grilled corn and fresh flowers to cell phones, used shoes,  and paperback books added to the hustle and bustle.

But all of this made Tirana feel real.  All too often it is easy to not experience only one side of a city.
As a visitor to a city you might see the polished tourist attractions but how often do see how people really live?  I know that when we travel to new places we try to get out of the expected areas and see what the communities are really like.  And after two years, we finally did this right in our (temporary) home.  We saw the sights, both good and bad, the historic and the modern; we got caught up in organized tours and local crowds, and saw the Tirana as it really is.  We really should have done this sooner but I'm glad we finally did it.  In our next city I won't wait as long to do it.

Discovering a part of Albania's recent past

Accident? What Accident?

After close to 8 months in the country yesterday we had our first Albanian car accident.  I say first since I know that because we are in Albania, more are sure to follow.  It was just a fender bender and Glenn and I as well as the car escaped injury.

We were heading the short 1/2 mile home from the Embassy. With blinker on we turned left onto our road behind a yellow furgon masquerading as a school bus.  Suddenly the furgon driver stopped, put the van into reverse and proceeded to back into us.  He obviously wasn't using his mirrors and Glenn's insistent honking of the horn did nothing to stop his movements.  All of this took place within sight of our gate and on the corner with cameras and guards from both the Turkish and American Embassies looking on.

While Glenn and the furgon driver spoke I asked our Embassy guard to call the mobile patrol unit.  It seemed that within a matter of seconds a swarm of police, guards, and interested neighbors swarmed the scene. Each offered their opinion of what happened and insisted that our vehicle was o.k. It was in fact o.k. and we were o.k. as well but that wasn't the point.  Last time I looked, drivers are supposed to pay attention to where they are going and not back willl-nilly down the street.  It doesn't matter if you were working (shouldn't you be more careful if you are a school bus driver?) or if you always turned around at that intersection (how are we supposed to know that?).

Upon the mobile patrol unit's arrival the driver admitted he was in the wrong but insisted that we were just making problems because we were Americans.  Yes Mr. Furgon Driver, I do understand enough Albanian to know that's what you and the cadre of police were saying.  Amazingly enough, the commentary stopped once I told you in Albanian that I understood what you were saying and yes the accident was a problem, and no we we were not trying to create problems for you because we are American.  To me, its the principle of the matter.

Principle or not, there is a moral to this story.  Apparently it is legal for a school bus driver who admits he was at fault, to back into a vehicle without looking and walk away free of any changes.  We were advised that we should always blast our horn before taking any corner......just to let people know we are there.......Since the term accident insinuates that a mistake was made maybe this wasn't an accident after all.  Yes my friends, these appear to be the traffic laws in Albania.

Driving

I drove for the first time this past weekend.  The last time I drove was during a final rush hour trip to National Airport back in June. Not since I first got my license back in 1988 have I gone this long without driving.  My not driving was a conscious decision.  I've spent the past 2 1/2 months walking where I needed to go (which is actually quite easy to do here) and relying on Glenn, friends or GSO to bring me to more distant destinations.  I decided that it was finally time to conquer my fear.

I've always gotten a certain charge from driving in traffic.  Rush hour on the Beltway?  Bring it on.  Navigating Boston's streets during the height of the Big Dig construction?  An adrenaline rush.  There is nothing like being alone in a car on an open- or not so open- road to get away from it all.

So what was it about Albanian traffic that prevented me from getting behind the wheel?  Its not my driving skills that worry me; its the other drivers.  Glenn has been reminding me since we arrived that I have been driving far longer than most Albanians.  That is all fine and dandy but it doesn't make me feel any safer.  Despite the plethora of driving schools in Tirana, the majority of Albanian drivers seem to have a complete disregard for traffic laws.  (I have no idea what is actually taught in these schools but I doubt the curriculum resembles that of the school I attended way back when).

Most roads don't have lines or lane markings.  Those that are marked are so faded that they are practically unrecognizable.  This results in drivers speeding towards whatever open space is available.  Its not uncommon to see three rows of cars coming your way on what should be a two lane road.  Playing chicken with on-coming traffic seems to be the rule rather than the exception.   Cars will speed around you, passing on the right, only to immediately cut you off. Legal on street parking is practically non-existent so drivers will just stop their cars and double or triple park in front of their desired destinations.

I've noticed that the majority of intersections in Tirana have both stop signs and traffic lights.  This DOES NOT actually stop traffic however. Instead of traffic lights being situated over or in front of intersections, they tend to be located off to the far right of the driving lane causing the driver to have to crane their neck backwards to see the light color.  And that is if the lights are working. On any given day it seems as though half of the lights simply aren't working.  I naively thought that the stop signs were a contingency plan for when the lights aren't working.  That apparently isn't the case since people don't stop for them either.

Traffic circles, of which there are many in Albania, are equally scary. Yes, most traffic does move to the right but without lane markings traffic is a chaotic mess reminiscent of a scene from Richard Scary's BusyTown.  It a driver is in the far left "lane" but wants to immediately exit the circle on the right, they do so by cutting across four, six, or eight lanes of traffic.  Why?  Because they want to.

A pedestrian crosswalk with a traffic light was recently installed in front of the U.S. Embassy.  Most American drivers seem to stop for the red light but very few other drivers do.  In some ways this safety measure that should make it easier for pedestrians is actually more dangerous since one car will stop and a variety of cars, trucks, and mopeds will zip around the stopped car.  The first time I tried to cross the road I felt as though I was taking my life into my own hands.  No wonder I was so afraid of driving.

I found out that driving is like riding a bicycle. Once you get back in the driver's seat you pick up where you left off.  I turned up the radio- albeit to an Albanian station- and carefully took off down the street.  I dodged the crater-sized pothole at the end of our road and relished in my regained freedom.  I didn't tackle any traffic circles but I did pass through several busy intersections with malfunctioning traffic lights.  Watch out Albania, there's another driver on the road and this one will stop for red lights.