Considering that a large part of my working day is spent driving around Freetown I thought I should give some insight on a more regular basis into what it is like to live in such a crazy, noisy, dirty, smelly, vibrant city.
The biggest issue that I have to encounter all day, every day is the traffic. Freetown is a relatively small city, built around several hills. Originally built for 200,000, the population swelled to around 2 million during and after the civil war. As a result of this the road system has struggled to cope with this huge influx of humanity, causing massive congestion both day and night. Travelling 6km across the city (in the direction of all the beaches and restaurants) can take anything from 20 mins to 3 hours. Added to the fact there are no pavements, means that all the pedestrians and market stalls are on the (very narrow) roads. It makes for some interesting driving. My spatial awareness has definitely improved since being here! There are also no traffic lights so all junctions are manned by traffic police who vary somewhat in their effectiveness. Oh and then there are the hand carts, motorbikes (okadas), wheelbarrows (used to move around produce), poda podas (which stop in the worst places in front of you) and many more to contend with. Bizarrely I am getting (dare I say it) used to all the craziness though my translator tells me that I do not honk my horn enough...clearly I have a long way to go before I am driving like a Sierra Leonean.
Yes, in all these pictures I am driving on 'main roads'
Note the very deep gutters to the right. They are best avoided.
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