TEHRAN - In the last issue of Tasvir-e Shahr published on the occasion of the Fourth City Film Festival, the Tehran Municipality deputy director for transportation and traffic, Seyyed Jaffar Hashemi Tashakori, discussed traffic problems in the city. Following are the excerpts from Tashakori’s interview with the Persian language publication:

Q: You are considered as one of the traffic management experts of Tehran. Please give your views on the traffic congestion in the city, and also express your feelings as a citizen when you face these problems.
A: Actually, my job and my responsibilities are intertwined. In my opinion, my feelings and my profession are inseparable. Public knows traffic problems of the city. However, traffic is a problem that is not restricted to a certain class. When we talk about the nuclear technology, all the people admire it, but the numbers of people who really know about the nuclear energy are very low. The case is different with the traffic problems. Even though the responsibility of experts is to solve the traffic problems, but at the same time they themselves are grappling with various traffic issues. So, I can not separate my responsibility from the role of me as a Tehran citizen. When I recall my childhood or sometimes review the Persian dailies of 1960s, 1970s or even 1980s I observe that the Tehran traffic has always been discussed in these periods. But to compare the traffic problems of those times to the current situation is a bit ridiculous. I think after 20 years from now, the traffic congestion in Tehran would be more bizarre.
However, don’t worry about that and let us enhance our efforts to resolve the traffic problems for the next 20 years. The difficulty of Tehran traffic is the existence of a complicated infrastructure and we should attempt to find solution for it. These problems have been there and again they are there. To cite an example, the construction of highways, streets, and bridges, which are always under-construction, is something natural. The problem does not exist in this sector, but it is the software drawbacks that have exacerbated the whole puzzle.
Q: And what is this software here?
A: It means a culture or in another words the culture of traffic and driving across the nation. Most of the experts believe it creates 60 percent traffic problems. When I see documentary films on the traffic in the 60s, I observe that the cars have become more stylish and motorcycles have replaced carts and the streets are broader now, but the behavior of the people has not changed yet. During those times, like today, the cars and pedestrians were mingled with each other. Nobody let his fellow citizenship to cross the street. Whatever is called software is the same traffic behavior. The cars have entered the country without driving being legalized. Earlier for using the carts there were laws. The drawbacks in the legislation, which emerged at that period in order to educate people and cultural uplift of people and improving traffic behaviors has made Tehran to be quite different with other cities of the world. Our disputes are not in the number of cars, construction of bridges, highways or streets. Rather the existence of these differences in our city. Why do such incidents happen? In many Third World countries cars have been imported and streets are constructed many years later. So they didn’t have the culture of driving. The driving culture in the advanced countries is much better than our country’s and that’s why the promotion of driving culture should be enhanced in the society.
Q: You mean the traffic culture promotion has not worked in Iran?
A: No, to say that after 80 years (the cars came to the country in the early 1900s) no traffic culture promotion has taken place is unjust. In all these years some efforts have been made.
Q: I’m confused now. On one hand you say the problem is software and on the other hand you say during the last 80 years efforts have been made on traffic culture promotion. So what is the problem then?
A: The main problem is not the culture of traffic, but the main problem is in some pillars of social culture which have impact on one another’s behaviors.
Q: Do you explain more on the subject?
A: Just like copyright. Misusing the others’ spiritual rights without permission is actually a kind of theft. In our social and religious culture, by no means, we do not pay due attention to this matter. If we see someone is selling stolen goods, it is impossible for us to purchase them since we know this is forbidden (haram). But this forbidden action is easily carried out in the movies. We get illicit copy of a film and watch it without realizing that our action is illegal, unethical and even irreligious since it is forbidden or haram. The climax of such ignorance can be widely seen in traffic issues and it means trampling upon the rights of other people.