Traffic at the craziest intersection in the world: Meskel Square in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia's capital. There are no traffic lights, no roundabout, no traffic controllers, but there are many lucky people trying to avoid any collision.
The Craziest Crossroads in the World: Meskel Square, Addis Ababa
The absence of rules, traffic lights and signs is in line with the traffic theories of the late Hans Monderman, a Dutch road engineer. According to his way of thinking, the lack of safety measures and rules on the roads forces drivers to pay more attention to what is happening outside their vehicles (pedestrians, cyclists), rather than just blindly following the rules. Increasing this focus makes the road safer for everyone involved. The drivers in the video above are obviously not locked in their cars, they are outside and take full part in the traffic.
In 2019, it became known that Ethiopia is going to build 40 intersections in its capital Addis Ababa to ease congestion in the city, the situation with which is worsening due to the ever-growing population.
The Traffic Management Agency in Addis Ababa will hire a consultant to study, design and supervise the construction of the intersections with a tender announcement.
