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| Sao Paulo: A city with 180km traffic jams | Sao Paulo: A city with 180km traffic jams |
| (7 days later) | |
| By Paulo Cabral BBC News, Sao Paulo | By Paulo Cabral BBC News, Sao Paulo |
| Next time you complain about being stuck in traffic, spare a thought for the drivers in Brazil's biggest city, which has some of the worst congestion problems in the world. | Next time you complain about being stuck in traffic, spare a thought for the drivers in Brazil's biggest city, which has some of the worst congestion problems in the world. |
| Friday evenings are a commuter's worst nightmare in Sao Paulo. | Friday evenings are a commuter's worst nightmare in Sao Paulo. |
| That's when all the tailbacks in and out of the city extend for a total of 180km (112 miles), on average, according to local traffic engineers, and as long as 295km (183 miles) on a really bad day. | That's when all the tailbacks in and out of the city extend for a total of 180km (112 miles), on average, according to local traffic engineers, and as long as 295km (183 miles) on a really bad day. |
| Red brake lights stretch as far back as the eye can see, blinking repeatedly as drivers endure an exasperating stop-and-go journey, which can continue for hours. | Red brake lights stretch as far back as the eye can see, blinking repeatedly as drivers endure an exasperating stop-and-go journey, which can continue for hours. |
| "It's like a sea. A sea of cars," says Fabiana Crespo, as she slowly navigates the congested streets with her 10-month-old baby Rodrigo. | "It's like a sea. A sea of cars," says Fabiana Crespo, as she slowly navigates the congested streets with her 10-month-old baby Rodrigo. |
| "For a long time I lived with my family in the south of Sao Paulo and worked on the other side of town. | "For a long time I lived with my family in the south of Sao Paulo and worked on the other side of town. |
| "So when I got married, I decided to move to the north of the city to be close to the office, because commuting can make your life hell," she says. | "So when I got married, I decided to move to the north of the city to be close to the office, because commuting can make your life hell," she says. |
| "But after my first son was born I decided to go back to running the family business which is in my old neighbourhood. So I am back to the ordeal crossing the whole city to go to work." | "But after my first son was born I decided to go back to running the family business which is in my old neighbourhood. So I am back to the ordeal crossing the whole city to go to work." |
| For Crespo it's a journey that can take more than two hours of her day - each way. | For Crespo it's a journey that can take more than two hours of her day - each way. |
| Traffic jams cause problems all over the world, and not just for drivers, but in Sao Paulo they have become more than a nuisance. | Traffic jams cause problems all over the world, and not just for drivers, but in Sao Paulo they have become more than a nuisance. |
| Heavy traffic is an integral part of life and culture in this vast city of more than 11m people. | Heavy traffic is an integral part of life and culture in this vast city of more than 11m people. |
| "We have become slaves of traffic and we have to plan our lives around it," says Crespo. | "We have become slaves of traffic and we have to plan our lives around it," says Crespo. |
| By the time she gets back home after another stressful two-hour commute it is already evening, and her husband is waiting with their older child, three-year-old Pedro. | By the time she gets back home after another stressful two-hour commute it is already evening, and her husband is waiting with their older child, three-year-old Pedro. |
| However she also knows that it is a certain irony that it was in one of those terrible congestions nine years ago that she met the man she would eventually marry. | However she also knows that it is a certain irony that it was in one of those terrible congestions nine years ago that she met the man she would eventually marry. |
| "I was with a friend in my car and he was in his car also with a friend. In the stop and go of the traffic jam we started driving side by side and then he started looking at me," says Crespo. | "I was with a friend in my car and he was in his car also with a friend. In the stop and go of the traffic jam we started driving side by side and then he started looking at me," says Crespo. |
| After some flirting through the car windows, Mauricio managed to convince Fabiana to give him her phone number. He called, and an enduring love story began. | After some flirting through the car windows, Mauricio managed to convince Fabiana to give him her phone number. He called, and an enduring love story began. |
| "I think this is the only thing we can't complain about in Sao Paulo's traffic", she says. | "I think this is the only thing we can't complain about in Sao Paulo's traffic", she says. |
| However for most motorists, the story is one of frustration and local news radios dedicate considerable energy and airtime to ensure motorists are fully up to date. | However for most motorists, the story is one of frustration and local news radios dedicate considerable energy and airtime to ensure motorists are fully up to date. |
| There is even one station dedicated exclusively to reporting traffic conditions and alternative routes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. | There is even one station dedicated exclusively to reporting traffic conditions and alternative routes, 24 hours a day, seven days a week. |
| Since it was set up seven years ago, Sul America Traffic Radio has gathered a large following of listeners who also act as reporters, calling in to update other motorists or to vent their frustrations. | Since it was set up seven years ago, Sul America Traffic Radio has gathered a large following of listeners who also act as reporters, calling in to update other motorists or to vent their frustrations. |
| During rush hour, the station has the support of a helicopter while a team of reporters is out on the road, often stuck in traffic themselves. | During rush hour, the station has the support of a helicopter while a team of reporters is out on the road, often stuck in traffic themselves. |
| Among them is Victoria Ribeiro, whose job is to drive around town finding traffic jams - not in itself much of a challenge - and to find ways to escape the mess. | Among them is Victoria Ribeiro, whose job is to drive around town finding traffic jams - not in itself much of a challenge - and to find ways to escape the mess. |
| "I have been working with the radio since its beginnings and we can see the traffic is only getting worse, as more cars are coming onto the streets," she says. | "I have been working with the radio since its beginnings and we can see the traffic is only getting worse, as more cars are coming onto the streets," she says. |
| The Brazilian car industry has been breaking successive production records over the last decade, as the income of millions of Brazilians has improved thanks to economic growth. | The Brazilian car industry has been breaking successive production records over the last decade, as the income of millions of Brazilians has improved thanks to economic growth. |
| Owning a car is a widely held aspiration, offering an alternative to the city's deficient public transport system, and the ultimate proof of belonging to the middle class. | Owning a car is a widely held aspiration, offering an alternative to the city's deficient public transport system, and the ultimate proof of belonging to the middle class. |
| However while the explosion in car sales was essential to sustain Brazilian economic growth, it has also pushed Sao Paulo's "sea of cars" to a whole new level. | However while the explosion in car sales was essential to sustain Brazilian economic growth, it has also pushed Sao Paulo's "sea of cars" to a whole new level. |
| "It's like a war, because everybody seems to become very selfish once they are behind the wheel of a car," says Ms. Ribeiro. | "It's like a war, because everybody seems to become very selfish once they are behind the wheel of a car," says Ms. Ribeiro. |
| For those who have enough money there is another option - they can literally hover above the problem. | For those who have enough money there is another option - they can literally hover above the problem. |
| The combination of bad traffic and fear of crime - two major concerns in Sao Paulo - a growing helicopter industry is able to ferry around the super rich or business executives. | The combination of bad traffic and fear of crime - two major concerns in Sao Paulo - a growing helicopter industry is able to ferry around the super rich or business executives. |
| "If I hire a helicopter for a few hours I can hop between helipads and have three or four meetings in one day, which would be impossible if I had to move back and forth by car," says legal consultant Sergio Alcibiades, who uses an air taxi service a few times a month. "For me this is a tool to make money." | "If I hire a helicopter for a few hours I can hop between helipads and have three or four meetings in one day, which would be impossible if I had to move back and forth by car," says legal consultant Sergio Alcibiades, who uses an air taxi service a few times a month. "For me this is a tool to make money." |
| The owner of Helimart Air Taxi, Jorge Bittar, says his company is enjoying an average growth of 10% per year and has 16 helicopters that rarely stay on the ground for long. | The owner of Helimart Air Taxi, Jorge Bittar, says his company is enjoying an average growth of 10% per year and has 16 helicopters that rarely stay on the ground for long. |
| "When it comes to traffic, the worse it gets, the better it is for us." | "When it comes to traffic, the worse it gets, the better it is for us." |
| There may be opportunities for some but traffic jams also have a negative impact on the economy. | There may be opportunities for some but traffic jams also have a negative impact on the economy. |
| The heavy traffic has a huge impact on the cost of living and doing business says Claudio Barbieri, a professor in engineering and transport expert from the University of Sao Paulo. | The heavy traffic has a huge impact on the cost of living and doing business says Claudio Barbieri, a professor in engineering and transport expert from the University of Sao Paulo. |
| "If you have a truck and this truck cannot make more than six to eight deliveries instead of 15 or 20, you need two trucks, so everything becomes more expensive." | "If you have a truck and this truck cannot make more than six to eight deliveries instead of 15 or 20, you need two trucks, so everything becomes more expensive." |
| Professor Barbieri says Sao Paulo has skilled and experienced traffic engineers that somehow manage to get the city to flow, albeit slowly. | Professor Barbieri says Sao Paulo has skilled and experienced traffic engineers that somehow manage to get the city to flow, albeit slowly. |
| "But the big problem is that we Brazilians are terrible with planning and traffic will only become more manageable if we start looking into real long-term solutions." | "But the big problem is that we Brazilians are terrible with planning and traffic will only become more manageable if we start looking into real long-term solutions." |
| But he is also clear that a "more manageable traffic" environment is the best possible scenario that can be achieved. | But he is also clear that a "more manageable traffic" environment is the best possible scenario that can be achieved. |
| "No city in the world will ever manage to end congestion because when traffic flows, people are drawn to their cars. The key is to find a balance, the point at which it is worthwhile for commuters to use public transport because it's faster then driving," he says. | "No city in the world will ever manage to end congestion because when traffic flows, people are drawn to their cars. The key is to find a balance, the point at which it is worthwhile for commuters to use public transport because it's faster then driving," he says. |
| "That way Sao Paulo needs urgently to invest more in public transport instead of building new roads and expressways that will only be filled up with more cars." | "That way Sao Paulo needs urgently to invest more in public transport instead of building new roads and expressways that will only be filled up with more cars." |