Traffic, Karachi

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We walked along the crowded sidewalk at Zeinab Market... "where is the entrance to the market?" I asked my Pakistani friend. "Right over there Jess, we just have to cross the road."
JUST have to CROSS the road? THAT road? Are you sure? OK then, he grabbed my hand and off we went...

Just be aware that crossing major roads in Karachi is not easy. Karachi is one of the world's most populated & fastest growing cities with 14 Mio people, and a lot of them are on the roads! If there are any zebra crossings, I didn't see them and neither did the drivers of cars, buses, donkey carts & rickshaws. All you can do is wait on the side of the road, wait for a survivable gap in the speeding & criss-crossing traffic, and then run to the other side.

If you are travelling with children or eldery people with walking difficulties, try to "rally" a few locals to help you stop traffic in order to cross. So ladies: leave those high heels at home, and put on your jogging shoes ;-)

The karachi is not only the city of beaches and lightening but also city of heavy traffic also. During the visit u can see the heavy rush of cars, buses and other traffice and traffic jams so please speical care taken during crossing the roads. If you are with younger ages kids then dont let them alone outside near the roads. If you are driving must obey the traffic rules to avoid any accident and be patient because some time lot of red signals and traffic rush may cause your temper loose hmmmmmmmmmm.

I have been to Karachi four times in total, the most recent being in August of 2004. Each time I visit the city however, the amount of traffic and overall disregard for other's well being continually amazes me. The streets are absolute chaos, many of which do not even have lanes. Drivers are extremely aggressive, and for the most part go wherever they please. In the three weeks I was there, I had witnessed three accidents. The very first incident involved a gentleman that was hit by a car at low speed on a congested street. The second accident featured a man who was struck riding his bicycle, and finally the third and probably most dramatic was the collision of youngsters riding their motorcycles quite recklessely on one of the motorways. Fortunately all those involved in the accidents managed to walk away with just a couple scratches, I credit this to the fact that since many of the streets are relatively crowded it limits the speed at which drivers can move along. However, it is still safe to say that when crossing or walking along the streets one should exercise extreme caution, as cars come very close to you.

Statistically the greatest threat to a person in Karachi or anywhere on the planet for that matter is going to be from things automotive. Street life in Karachi is 'full on' meaning Karachi is truely a city that never sleeps. Pakistani people are not shy and they are really helpful so whenever there is a problem you can depend on the people around you to help out. At least that was my experience in Karachi. So would you please stop worrying now about kidnappings!

SHOULD I MAKE A LIST.....FOR ME IT WASNT PEOPLE WHO HATED AMERICANS THAT I WAS AFRAID OF.....IT WAS THE PEOPLE THAT DRIVE THERE !!!! OMG THERE ARE LIKE NO RULES AND IF YOU DO HAPPEN TO GET CAUGHT BREAKING A RULE YOU JUST PAY THE OFFICER TO LET YOU GO ( GEESH WISH WE COULD DO THAT HERE IN AMERICA ) ...HMM LETS SEE WHAT ELSE....WELL KARACHI HAS 13 MILLION PEOPLE AND THERE ARE BOUND TO BE PROBLEMS...PICK- POCKETS, CAR THEFTS AND YES AN OCCASIONAL BOMBING, ABDUCTION OR KILLING....BUT I GUESS THE MAIN IDEA IS MOVE AROUND THE CITY WITH SOME CAUTION....DONT GO AROUND YELLING YOUR POLITCAL BELIEFS...DONT YELL AMERICA RULES!!! AND KEEP TO YOURSELF MOSTLY AND STAY LOW PROFILE AND TRY TO BLEND IN WITH THE LOCALS ( WHICH WAS HARD FOR ME WITH BLONDE HAIR !!! YIKES!!!