Sunday, May 31, 2009

Maddening Thicker Road

it's official, Thika Road has now been designated Thicker Road. And only because it's the only road in Nairobi that can miraculously transform itself from a two lane highway into an 8 lane highway in the same speed it takes a porsche to attain maximum speed 0-100mph in 4 seconds...or something along those lines. I was driving upcountry to Nanyuki to spend a lovely madaraka day weekend. In extremely typical fashion, a guy in a peugot 504 (which have become extremely rare contraptions in this Toyota country) has car problems on the right lane and makes the utterly wise decision to deal with said problems on the spot. To his right, is the road shoulder, not even 3 feet away where he and the other male occupant of the car could have pushed the problematic car. To his left is a long snake of at least 3 semi-trailers heavily laden with goods en route to the North Eastern frontier that have reduced traffic to a snail pace.

In the time it takes to say, what the bloody hell, sixty four matatus have taken the very space that 504 man should have parked his vehicle to form another 4 lanes of traffic to maintain the Soul II Soul mantra of "keep on moving". Needless to say, we came to a complete standstill at the bewitching hour of 1 p.m. A few kilometres ahead, another road block, this time a pedestrian who probably should have been looking right instead of left, lay prostrate on the ground, blood oozing from his mouth and his limbs unnaturally twisted in ignominous death. He had been hit by a Canter whose windscreen was smashed with little else damaged. I said a silent prayer for his family who would be waiting for him to come home that night wondering why he was late.....

7 comments:

  1. Yeah. . . That's Thika Rd for us and its never ending drama!

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  2. truly thicker road.
    wonder if the 5 lanes will do justice to it..will it?

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  3. LOL!! your blog is funny

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  4. Hi just staggered in your blog from a link in kenyanpundit.com and was instantly blown away but the few posts you have. Well done! About the so called Thicker Rd, well, I nearly wept when I found nearly all the cute trees some which were over 40 years old had been felled in just 1 hour, no questions asked!

    Mind you the power-saw dudes who had "murdered" the exotic trees were just laying on the grass, chattering while sipping coffee without a care in the world. Not a single thought of those precious trees on their mind.

    Well, I know the trees had to go at some point so as to expand the busiest highway in Eastern Africa, but doing it so casually... and wiping away all the beauty..it somehow broke my heart.

    I don't care what anyone says but "Thicker Rd" will never be the same again. It will be just a load of concrete and another 40 years for the same spectacular greenery ain't coming soon!

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  5. M-PESA I feel you. Thats wat em chinese making the road into Naks did. The results were nt bad, we just have to wait another 40 years for the trees they planted to grow up, assuming that piece or infrastructure wont be upgraded during that time.

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  6. I lived on "Thicker Road" for 12years and it's stupendously and alarmingly mind boggling what happens on that road to the point of becoming hilarious! A drop of rain and Mombasa road looks like child play! Accidents are a form of drive by theatre!!! And the kiambu road option, well, that ceased to be an option once the traffic split...."Let's meet at Muthaiga! You take Kiambu, I'll follow the traffic, we'll see who gets there 1st!"

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  7. @ Mpesa: asante sana...will keep them coming

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