4th February 2018
The area around the guesthouse where I am staying is popular with learner drivers who are recognisable by the massive L-plates strapped to front and rear. The roads are usually quiet and there are a steady stream of learners being put through their paces. The road conditions here though hardly prepare them for the conditions they will find in the centre of town.
At the initial briefings for my trip it was made clear that to get from A to B I could walk or get a taxi from a licensed private hire firm. What I was strongly discouraged from doing was to drive myself. On arrival, it became clear quite quickly why this advice is given. The road layout is familiar from anywhere else in the world. There are white lines down the middle of the road and at junctions there are traffic lights. There are also evident rules of the road. The problem is that it seems not everyone agrees what those rules are and the traffic lights seem to be regarded as advisory at best.
On the whole, people drive on the left hand side of the road here . However, where corners are concerned this is abandoned. Speaking to a colleague last night, it became clear that this is particularly true in rural areas where road traffic accidents are common and children journey to school along the side of the road at their peril.
Many of the cars on the roads of Maseru are imported from Japan, I assume because they also drive on the left there. The exceptions to this are government vehicles, which are usually white with red lettering instead of blue on the number plate, and cars that have been brought in from South Africa. The imports are not allowed to be resold in South Africa.
Fuel is relatively cheap here but somewhat confusing. If you don’t work for the government you have a choice of three fuels: a low octane petrol, diesel and eco diesel. Not all fuels are available in all stations so you have to be careful when planning your journey. If you drive a government vehicle then you have to fill up at the government filling station which happens to be down the road from the guesthouse. All govt vehicles fill up here and I do mean all, which is why the airport firetruck drove past me as I was waiting for a taxi the other morning. I assume they weren’t expecting any flights in the near future.
Public taxi’s toot their horn to attract custom. If you happen to be walking down a street in Maseru, do not be surprised if a taxi pulls up beside you and keeps tooting until you acknowledge them. General advice is don’t use them unless you have a death wish.
The quote above is taken from sesothostudy.co.za, a great resource if you fancy learning a few words of sesotho.
The roads are not well maintained and they do love a speed bump. The other day I was in a taxi being driven along a dual carriageway and suddenly the driver slammed the breaks on. It wasn’t until we got closer that I saw the large speed bump running across the carriageway. I suspect the mechanics are kept busy in Lesotho.