Brazil’s Traffic Jams: A Daily Headache
Typical six o’clock traffic jam in Sao Paulo city, Brazil (Photo: WIKI Leticia Ferreira)
We’re looking for a Brazilian city known for having nightmarish traffic jams.
Some of Brazil’s tallest skyscrapers define the cityscape. They loom over this South American city of more than 20 million people.
Up in the sky, helicopters are a common sight. They ferry passengers who’d rather hop a ride than deal with the city’s gridlock.
Local traffic reporter Victoria Hibeiro describes the bumper to bumper traffic at ground level this way: “Chaos, chaos. Every Friday, especially when it’s close to a long weekend, at about six o’clock, nobody moves. We have too many cars, too many trucks, too many people. You know, my advice is if you can, don’t go out, stay where you are.”
Another local driver said: “We’ve become slaves of traffic and we have to plan our lives around it.”
Can you name this Brazilian city?
To answer our Geo Quiz we turned to the BBC ‘s Paulo Cabral. He arrived late for the scheduled interview, he says, thanks to one of Sao Paulo’s famous traffic jams.
Tell us your commuting stories in the comments below. Ever been stuck in a traffic jam in Moscow, Beijing or New Delhi? Let us know.
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