The ISF can forever claim that they have their “own ways” to stop these stupid motorbikers. But in fact nothing is being done that even 12 years old kids now do wheelies on the streets!
photo via YASA
Tag Archives | highway
Connecting Lebanon to Cyprus with a bridge
Beirut Night Life posted about an American company who’s currently proposing a 150Km bridge connecting Dbayeh to Limassol to allow reaching Cyprus from Lebanon (or vice versa) within 80minutes. Using this bridge will be subject to paying a certain fee, and it will be owned by the American company for the 10 years.
Can you imagine how many things can go wrong if this projects gets approved?
- No matter how this highway will be designed, Lebanese drivers will always manage to find a way to make a u-turn on it.
- Some people will drive for like 20 minutes then park on the side, set their arguileh, and start grilling some meat, because you know, picnic by the sea!
- Others will just use it to jump into the sea, because its sides appear to be higher than the sidewalk in Ain El Mraiseh.
- After the 10 years pass by, the Lebanese side of the highway will always have potholes.
- Zouzou Ebba and the gang will never know where this highway leads to, since they will just use the first few hundred meters of it for racing, then make a u-turn and go back to Dbayeh.
- Shall I go on??
On Fouad Boutros highway
According to an article on Now Lebanon and another on Beirut Report, it seems like the post I wrote back in March on the new highway in Achrafieh connecting Hazmieh to Charles Helou is true, since the project has already been given a green light and works might start in a month or so.
And ever since the news was spread, “Save Beirut Heritage” has been opposing the project as it requires destroying 28 old buildings. But how true is that?
I mean let’s assume each building has only 3 to 4 families living in it, then the government should currently be in the process of buying a minimum of 90 apartments in order to later destroy them and be able to go forward with the project. But 90 isn’t a small number, that’s 90 families who can easily coordinate a protest or at least appear on TV to oppose being evacuated from their apartments, which is not the case right now.
That means the number of buildings is either much lower than 28, and therefore a large chunk of the highway will be underground, or the government is offering a really large sum of money for the families and they’re simply happy with it.
And let’s be real for a moment, the highway might be seriously endangering Beirut’s heritage, but old buildings in the areas of Achrafieh and Mar Mkhayel are rapidly disappearing anyway to make way for high rise towers! So are we over-reacting a little bit here..?
Anyway, I personally don’t really see the need to connect Charles Helou with Hazmieh through a highway passing by Achrafieh, since there’s already another highway connecting Hazmieh to Karantina which is pretty close to Charles Helou!
A new highway to be constructed in Achrafieh
According to this article in The Daily Star today, there’s a new highway that is set to be constructed in the near future in Achrafieh linking Hazmieh to Charles Helou and passing by Mar Mkhayel. The project plan has been there since the 70’s but was delayed because some residential buildings have to be demolished, and the Council for Development and Reconstruction is now set to go forward with it starting this summer to help reduce the traffic in and out of Achrafieh.
Some activists however are opposing the project and trying to suggest some alternatives to avoid demolishing of old buildings and preserve the streets that might be affected by this highway. You can read more about it here.
This is definitely not an accurate drawing of the highway, but I’m trying to imagine how will it look like. I guess it will start somewehre in Alfred Naccache, passing by the small bridge in Charles Malek, and then straight to Charles Helou.
The solution to traffic jam in Lebanon
These people found the ultimate solution to traffic jam in Lebanon, set up an Arguileh and share it with people around while stuck on the highway. Better yet, want to avoid fights during the wait? Add some Bekaai made “tobacco” to it!
Thank you @krikOrianm
Partying on the highway
I was on my way to Beirut on Sunday when I saw these guys literally having a party on the highway all the way from Halat to Jounieh!
Everyone in the car was standing, including the driver…
… since he can drive with his feet!
They kept exchanging CD’s with the Picanto on the left.
“the party don’t start until I walk in” more wazawiz are here!
Surprisingly (or not), there were several policemen on the road and none of them bothered to stop that car!
That’s definitely taking “wazwaza” to a whole new level!
Banning motorcycles in Lebanon
I just came across a news that made it for me! Our minister of interior affairs Ziad Baroud issued a statement banning motorcycles between 6:00PM and 5:00AM as of October 15th 2009. In addition to making it clear that motorcyclists gatherings are forbidden.
بارود يصدر قرارا بضبط سير الدراجات النارية ابتداء من 15 الجاري
أصدر وزير الداخلية زياد بارود قرارا ً بضبط سير الدراجات النارية في الأراضي اللبنانية المختلفة اعتباراً من تاريخ 15/10/2009، وطلب الى المديرية العامة لقوى الأمن الداخلي التشدّد في تطبيق القرار.
وسمح القرار بسير الدراجات النارية المسجلة أصولاً لدى هيئة إدارة السير والآليات والمركبات والمستوفية لجميع الشروط القانونية، اعتباراً من الساعة الخامسة صباحاً وحتى الساعة الثامنة عشرة، ويمنع سير جميع الدراجات بين الساعة 18.00 والساعة الخامسة من صباح اليوم التالي.
By the way, every time I see a motorcyclist performing stunts on the highway, I get the urge to hit him and watch him rolling on the asphalt! Yes that’s how much I hate you Lebanese motorbike owners!
Photo via flickr