I was very impressed with Iran and the Iranians. Considering that they have had international sanctions imposed on them since 1979 they have done wonders in making themselves self-sufficient and I can’t say that I blame them for wanting to do their own thing with their plans for nuclear energy; why would they want to put vital energy sources at the mercy of another country, however supportive that country might be at the moment.

Their network of highways throughout the country - certainly throughout the parts which we saw on the tour - is very good and there was evidence of continuing upgrading of this system. The traffic along these freeways was heavy, mostly large trucks transporting heavy goods over the vast stretches of desert between cities.

Bradt's Travel Guide gives this advice to foreign motorists:
"There were 19,000 road deaths and over 70,000 injuries reported in Iran in 1999. Leaving aside the nightmare of Tehran traffic, which guarantees road rage and ulcers, be aware that Iranian lorry and coach drivers work very long hours, few private vehicles have reflectors or working lights and their drivers disregard every rule in the book. Traffic does not necessarily stop at a red light, nor wait until green before setting off. Regard zebra crossings as merely road surface decorations. Pedestrians take their life into their own hands crossing the road and the sight of their terror-stricken faces forms the chief entertainment for motorists. If a driver flashes his/her lights it does not mean it is safe to cross; your presence is being acknowledged, but not necessarily your continued existance on this Earth. On the other hand, having started to cross, do not turn tail or break into a run; both actions constitute a personal challenge to the driver to continue the pursuit."

In the cities the traffic was horrendous with four of five-laned roads morphing into ten to twelve lanes as cars straddled the lines and progressed as best they could. The driving can only be described as opportunistic. Cars pushed their noses into any small gap and hoped that their courage was greater than that of the other road users and that someone would let them through eventually. There were times when intersections were totally at a standstill with cars nose to nose in every direction.

I found this comment on the BBC News web page today [18th December 2006]

"It is estimated that there are something like 14 million people in Tehran, and when you try to cross the road it can seem as if they are all queuing up to roar past.

Red can mean stop and green can mean go but traffic lights seem to be merely advisory and there is no right or wrong side of the road.

I was delighted to learn that Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Iran's President and a one time mayor of Tehran has a degree in traffic management. Make of that what you will."

Typical traffic jam

On our tour bus there was a driver’s assistant whose job, among others, was to get out and direct the traffic to make us a pathway through the traffic jams. Our driver was very skilled and we ended the tour with no more damage than a broken aerial from attempting to pass under a too-low bridge. Our guide used the broken aerial as a conveniently retractable pointer for the remainder of the tour.

Our bus in trouble

Whenever we needed to cross a road we were asked to ‘cluster’ together and two of ‘the boys’ would step into the traffic and stop it in order to allow us to cross. This was rather dangerous as the cars, and more particularly the motor bikes , were very reluctant to stop. We were not exactly encouraged to go out on our own and it was always with the injunction to be careful crossing the road.

The motor bikes were a constant irritation. Due to the traffic in the cities they were certainly a convenient way to get around and I once saw father, mother, toddler and bicycle all loaded onto one motorbike, weaving its way through the cars. However, around the bazaars, along the footpaths, through the Maidan in Esfahan and wherever they were least expected there were motorbikes appearing to be ridden aimlessly through the cities and even in the depths of the countryside (see Wee, Wee, Wee all the Way Home).