Didn't the PA score some million dollar aid grant to address traffic and parking? I remember during the second intifada our first streetlights were crushed by Israeli tanks. But now Ramallah has even got these cool parking machines installed everywhere.
They're not even a year old and are already busted.
We do not have the infrastructure to hold drivers accountable. They themselves are asking for teeth in this article by the Guardian:
The Chinese-made parking meter on a street in the West Bank city of Ramallah instructed motorists in Arabic and English to "pay here", warning that surveillance cameras were watching their cars around the clock to catch those flouting the order.
But of the 17 cars parked in the street one day this week, not a single one displayed a ticket. "I actually used to buy a ticket, but I stopped when I realised I was the only one paying," said one Palestinian motorist who declined to give his name. "I know it's wrong, but regulations have to have teeth. And if you pay, you need services in return."
Ok, ok hold up.
I am being spoiled right, asking for a smooth transit in an occupied country, slamming on the backs of commuter vans as they reverse and almost run me over, yelling at kids that think its funny to shoot at my car with a BB gun.
I am asking for way too much when I say, Just give me a damn ticket. Make me feel like I am a part of something organized and not lawless. I want to be afraid when I see police, not laugh or walk all over them when I too park in the middle of a street. This place makes you naturally become a fanatical driver.
What is even more fanatical is that I typically hate police and ridiculous tickets that I am used to in the United States. I hate that I must fear them--but I also hate that I can laugh at them, smile and say in a suave voice, "It'll only be a minute."
When you have people fist fighting in the street, or people literally driving against traffic, it is clear that we don't care for the organization of our cities or villages. Because to me and many more, it seems pointless to try to regulate something that just isn't anything yet. The way Ramallah currently stands is not something I want anyways--I want these foreign funded buildings gone. I want the cement gone. I want to remember fields and orchards and quiet!
But that does not mean I should show no obligation to the state of my community. There should be respect in the streets just like there is at the table. But the way people are driving shows a lot about our current society. Just like the busted parking machines, asking for a bid to the UN is asking for the title and privilege without knowing how to utilize it or what it takes or what it needs. There is no meaning in the title, it is just something to have so we can liken ourselves to others.
Just like how 7 shekel parking lots in Ramallah are empty, and so people decide to park on sidewalks, asking the UN for anything is not going to change much for us. The structure does not match the situation.
Because the PA decided to drift here to my village, and take it over, it is a flagrant intrusion on our peace of mind. You assume everything is PA and Fatah aligned. Everytime Mahmood Abbas or Fayad or any of those corrupt jackasses want to pass by, they pass right by my house--closing off all traffic with sirens and horns blowing, so everyone could respect the royal procession. Even these cute little police officers trained by an American company jump out of jeeps and act like they are protecting the parade.
We all grumble under our breath. Occupation did not make me lose touch with the community, the PA did with its flamboyant attempts at being an organized society living under military oppression--whatever that means! And so I no longer believe in Ramallah as it is, I just dream about what was and what it could be.
It is a killer to your spirit to fight.
It's a civil war waiting to happen in Ramallah on the eve of Eid. Clock square has been shut down for pedestrians and without warning you hit a barrier of people walking. Can someone announce this or put signs? Or does the PA really depend on our flash gossiping skills?
Today from the location of the PA Legislative Council located near the Masyoon neighborhood to the stretch of the Ersal neighborhood, it took an outstanding 30 minutes to make it.
30 MINUTES! Ramallah is so tiny, but with small roads, too many cars, and the entire West Bank now raiding the PA capital, locals and commuters alike are going crazy at a time when everyone should be happy that fasting is nearing an end.
This village has been trying to become a city for some time now, and it just ain't happening.
Imagine rushing into statehood! The way the PA is building, or in my opinion destroying, what kind of society are we looking at? Are these streets made for that?
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