22 Million People, One Lane: My Descent into Cairo’s Traffic Chaos

Cairo traffic is often stop-and-go at speeds of 10 mph on major corridors.

Traffic Gridlock

Cairo's massive population of over 22 million people creates a density that modern infrastructure struggles to contain, leading to some of the world's most legendary traffic gridlock. With millions of residents and commuters funneling into a concentrated urban core daily, the sheer volume of vehicles consistently exceeds the capacity of the city's aging road networks.

This “perfect storm” of human density and car culture means that a simple cross-town trip can easily stretch into an ordeal of idling engines and blaring horn-honking. Known locally as zahma, this congestion is a universal source of frustration that impacts everything from the economy to public health.

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