Advertisement
Published: October 8th 2007
Edit Blog Post
Brief History and city layout
First thing I get asked by poeple here is what I think has changed in the past 27 years. First things that comes to mind is is that there are twice the number of poeple in the country, (times 4 in the capital), and twcie the number of cars. I leave the rest up to you to imaginge how things have changed.
Modern Tehran has never been a historical town. The original Tehran which was made Capital by the Qajars a century a two ago was confined the central and southern parts of the city which contains the only remaining monuments in the city. The areas is one of the only regions of the city which has retained its historical flavor and architecture, even that is under assault now by the developers. Rey, however, which is a separate town attached to sought east Tehran is the only part that dates back to the distant past.
Modern Tehran is huge; it seems that the surrounding mountains have been the only agents to contain its growth. Government policies especially since the revolution have resulted in an excessive concentration of resources and capital in the city.
Park of "Dialogue"
Named after the initiative of former Iranian president to set in motion what he called the "dialogue of civilizations" The city has an efficient freeway system, connecting the various parts of the city, built after the revolution. The city is filled with many beautiful parks which are well maintained and provide a refuge from the noise and pollution the streets.
The city has become a mega-metropolis melting pot of the region. Migration to cities have been partly encouraged by policies that help real estate speculators to artificially jack up land prices leading to massive sell offs by rural dwellers, who then migrate to the city. Population growth, lack of economic possiblities, inflation and the lure of modern living are among other factors. Tehran is also like Dubai a melting pot of the region. All of Iran's major ethnic groups such as the Kurds, the Lors, Turks, Turkmens, are represented in addition to Afghans. All these provide a cheap labor force that feeds the service and construction industries.
The transportation dilemma
For most city dwelling Iranians of various backgrounds and of social strata who strained by the worsening economic inequalities, transporting passengers is the default profession that guarantees a semi decent income. Some of these folks are ex-military from the Shah's time; others are unemplyoed college educated
people. One driver I met was fired from reformist magazine who wrote the social issues that concerned poeple, which which the authorities made exception. Some are recent midlle or working class migrants from small towns from all over the country.
This job, given the traffic, pollution and noise is hectic, to say the least. Most drivers I talked to say they can't do it more 3 to 4 hours a day or six months in a row. One driver, a heavy set guy who was an air force mechanic during the Shah, and whose life was unexpectedly spared from execution, said that if any of them did this for more than 6 months, they may end up in the insane asylum. The manner in which they maintain their cool and sanity in the noisy traffic jams is an amazing thing to witness. You don't see too many fights, or yelling or screaming for that matter. The sheer number of people going about their business in the city provides a constant flow of customers to these drivers.
The fleet consists of shared taxis, which only go on designated routes; they are very cheap and practical. The space does get
Tower of Milad
A new Tehran monument, designed and built to supplant the previous one, the Azadi sqaure, which is closely assciated with the previous regime. tight and men and women respectfully mingle. No Talibanism of the kind folks in the west imagine applies here. Women sit either in front or back seats of taxis with strangest without any fuss. In this fleet most cars are Peykans, majority of which are more 30 years old and have a constant exhaust leak into the cabin. Other newer fleets also operate, which are comprised of the new Samands, which are more expensive and may not have designated routes. Others include privately owned vehicles or taxi companies that either work for various agencies or on their own. Interestingly there is also an all women's fleet called 'Taxi-i- bonouan,' literally meaning 'Ladies' Taxis,' driven by and for women only.
An impressive underground metro system has been built and is now in operation, with north-south and east west routes. It is a highly modern system and the stations and the trains themselves parallel any I have seen in the western European cities. The metro is heavily used and multiple additional routs connecting different localities are under construction. This has somewhat helped the situation, but the problems remains that there are too many cars on the road for the city to
North Tehran
View from the top floor of Laleh Hotel. handle.
The car Culture.
Folks here prefer to drive or be driven, so a good size of the poeple here make their living in the city transportation sector. More or less each middle class adult family member owns a car. This has been easier in the past because of cheap subsidized fuel, but this has changed recently, due to government enforced rationing. This has resulted in a relative decrease in the number cars on the streets. Still as as pedestrian you have to take one fact to heart, that here, cars come first. While crossing a busy street, if you see flashing lights from a car dashing towards you, it only means one thing: the vehicle has no intention of stopping or decreasing speed to let you pass; if you continue, you are about to enter a world of pain.
The motor-cycle alternative:
By far the most efficient and fastest way to get around the city is by motor-cycle. This is true primarily for one reason: while riding a motorcycle, anything goes. It is an accepted and an understood fact that the traffic rules do not apply to the motorcylists. They cut trought traffic, go in
between cars, ride in the side walk, move against traffic; in other words, they rarely stop. And, they are extremely noisey, in fact a good portion of the traffic sound comes from these guys. While crossing any street or cross-section, even if the the street is one, you have to vigilant of fast moving objects on both sides. These guys are every where.
This job is reserved for the more daring and restless of the transportation fleet. Given the hectic traffic of the city most businesses rely on motorcylclists to deliver prodcuts, cash or bank notes, home delivery of restaurant food, or even furniture. I once saw a biker transport a large faom bed, and another, a televistion set on the free way. They also transport passengers. If you ever opt for this mode of transport be ready for a loud, and thrilling ride, ear plugs are a must.
The social scene
Advertisement
Tot: 0.075s; Tpl: 0.012s; cc: 16; qc: 29; dbt: 0.0424s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.1mb