After the collapse of the Achrafieh building, and rumors that the Jal el Dib bridge could collapse any second, the authorities decided to close down the bridge and widen the adjacent road.

This all sounds great but why did they block the entrance to the O&C Fresh Market? What’s the use of all those piles of concrete blocks separating cars coming from inside Jal el Dib and those coming from the highway?

Cheyef 7alo wou mkattar.

We are all very happy that the government and head of the council of development and recontruction decided to dismantle the Jal el-Dib metal bridge within 5 days, but did they think about the extra traffic that closing this bridge might cause?

As you see in the picture above, the Jal el-Dib bridge is a key bridge as it allows:
- People coming from Jounieh/Dbayyeh to get into Jal el Dib or Zalka or head upwards towards Bsalim. (Red Line)

- People coming from Bsalim/Bkenaya/Mezher and surrounding areas to get to the Nahr el Mot/Dora/Beirut highway. (Green line)

- People coming from Zalka towards Jal el Dib to get back on the highway leading to Nahr el Mot/Dora/Beirut.

While cars pass under the bridge in the colors mentioned above, the Blue line corresponds to the normal flow of cars that cross the bridge coming from Dora/Nahr el-Mot/Beirut.

Having said that, closing the bridge will force cars whose destination is between Jal el Dib and Nahr el Mot to use the inside roads from Antelias or go all the way to Nahr el Mot, make a U-turn and come back. (See two pictures below)

The traffic in Antelias and Nahr el Mot is already agonizing in the morning, so closing down the bridge will make even worse.

What should the government do?
- Dismantle the current bridge and setup a temporary metal one until the new bridge is ready. This should be done within few days time as it was already done in the South after the July war and the bombing of several bridges. This would slow down traffic but is better than nothing.

If this option is not feasible, and the new bridge will take few months at least to be finished, then maybe we should all sell our cars and buy bikes.

Noting that this bridge should have been taken down since October, let’s hope we don’t have to wait for the bridge to collapse to have it changed and hold Charbel accountable if another tragedy takes place.

The decision has been taken to remove the Jal el-Dib bridge “as soon as possible” in order to avoid a possible “disaster,” Interior Minister Marwan Charbel said Tuesday.

Charbel reassured that “there is no need to panic,” saying the relevant authorities had taken the “necessary precautions.” [Naharnet]

Now that a building has collapsed in Lebanon, Lebanese are all of a sudden worried everything’s gonna fall on their heads, including the Jal el Dib bridge. However, that didn’t stop them from using the bridge yesterday as I went there around 8 pm and traffic was normal.

Meanwhile, someone’s apparently getting impatient and is trying to take down the bridge himself.

If we can’t expect authorities to stop this vehicle, can we really expect them to detect risky buildings and take the necessary measures to prevent its collapse?

Thanks Jossy!

I’ve been driving for a week or more now without a horn (My car caught the flu) and I must say it changed slightly the way I drive in Lebanon. I am relatively a calm driver but a honk is always needed with all the assholes out there trying to cut you off or crossing a red light.

Now that I have no car horn, I got used to avoiding situations where I needed it as I found myself helpless when people would cut me off or throw their cars in front of mine.

Having said that, maybe we should ban car horns in Lebanon and fine drivers using them on the highways and main roads, that way Lebanese who actually care about their cars will drive more calmly and responsibly.

This is probably never gonna happen but maybe we could start by calling for a honk-free day.

Found this by mistake awhile ago and it turns out it took place in Lebanon. Pretty cool. [YouTube]

I noticed that Charles El Helou bridge was undergoing some maintenance work last Friday and the road was closed as a result, but I had no clue the situation was as bad as it is portrayed in this report.

It basically says that the bridge could crumble any second now, similarly to the Jal el Dib Bridge which has expired and is yet to be taken down.

In fact, I had posted back in October that the Jal el Dib will be taken down soon but political disputes between various parties have delayed early plans.

So until then, pray before you cross any of those two bridges or avoid crossing over them by taking other routes.

This is the second time I see a car on fire on the road from Jdeideh to Achrafieh in less than 2 months. Someone caught a good picture of it this time though.

It’s quite surprising that it’s happening in winter and on a road where there’s no traffic relatively.

Even though I am all for promoting awareness on the dangers of drunk-driving, I don’t think it’s enough and I strongly believe the Lebanese authorities and more specifically the ministry of interior with the help of few NGOs should take things to the next level.

Why is that? Because the person who’s been drinking will not realize he cannot drive back home. On the contrary, and out of personal experience, you feel very self-confident under the effect of alcohol and start racing on the highway thinking you’re Schumacher.

What should be done? The answer is plain and simple.

1- Instead of deploying ISF and army men on highways and key spots, deploy them near night clubs and restaurants or at the entrance of Gemmayze Street for example and run alcohol tests randomly.

2- Ban all cars from driving back from Faraya or the Cedars or any popular NYE destination on New Year’s Eve except for emergencies. Coordinate with the local authorities and municipalities to let the ban run smoothly.

3- Deploy one or two NGO members (or touristic police) at nightclubs and restaurants to ensure drunk customers are not allowed to drive back home. Force owners to provide alternative taxi services at decent rates.

4- Deploy random checkpoints every 30 minutes on the highways to intentionally cause minor traffic and force drivers to slow down. This could prove frustrating but it’s better than hearing about deadly car accidents.

5- Penalize heavily drunk drivers causing accidents. Jail them for two days if needed. This should send out a clear message to other drivers.

6- Deploy few checkpoints on roads leading to Bhamdoun-Aley, Bekfaya, Faraya, and other mountain roads. Many accidents occur while people are in a hurry to get to Faraya or Zahle or the Cedars or Bekfaya etc ..

7- Penalize restaurant, pub and nightclub owners serving bad alcohol. This should be done all year long and not just for one night. Bad alcohol will knock you out after a drink or two.

Those measures may seem harsh, but given the conditions of the roads and the incompetence of the ministry of public works and most municipalities, there’s no other alternative to stopping accidents in Lebanon especially on New Year’s eve.

I finally got around to putting together this video I shot last week when I was in Lebanon. I rented a snowmobile up in Mzaar near the ski slopes from a company called Highland Club. It costs $100 for an hour but they have better deals on longer journeys. For example they can take you from Faraya to the Cedars and back for around $400. That’s a 3 hour trip each way and comes to around $65 an hour. If you’re interested in taking out a snowmobile you can call them on +9613860867 if you want to do the Arz trip or just head up near the slopes and stop by any of the snow mobile places there. [Vimeo]

[High Res]

I’ve always wanted to make comics, but my drawing is not that good. However, I was talking to Chahe about rage comics the other day and I thought I’d use them instead.

This is inspired from my past experiences at the Mecanique before I started paying someone to do it for me.

Update: Speaking of mecanique, read what happened today [Here].

[Source]

I don’t know if less people are shopping this year, or the concerned ministry did some changes, but traffic this year during Christmas is not that bad. I expected much worse but it’s not that frustrating when compared to everyday traffic or even past years. I visited ABC Achrafieh and Dbayyeh like 10 times already, went to Kaslik 3-4 times, Beirut Souks once, so it can’t be just luck. Yesterday, I left Achrafieh around 5pm and reached Khoury Home Dora in 30 minutes, then it took me 25 minutes to reach ABC Dbayyeh and another 30 minutes to Jounieh.

Surprisingly enough, the only time I got stuck in an unexpected traffic was a week ago when going from Jounieh to ABC Dbayyeh, but since then it’s been relatively ok. It could be that I’ve become immune to traffic, or it’s the Christmas spirit kicking in, but all in all Christmas traffic was not so horrible after all!