Article

This is an original article as printed in the Guardian Weekly which is suitable for advanced comprehension classes/groups. It was written by Rory Carroll in Caracas.

Cities trade oil for expertise to cure gridlock

In the evening rush hour in Caracas, vehicles are packed end to end on Avenida Francisco Miranda like a giant motionless worm. Hawkers sell beer to frustrated, sweating motorists while motorcycles mount pavements, beeping their horns and scattering pedestrians. Police patrols regard the scene with indifference.

Ricardo Torres, driving a battered Ford, has had enough. He swings off and climbs steep hills into a shantytown. The bends are so tight that the traffic switches, illegally, to the left hand side. "Just like in England, isn't it?" grins Torres.

The Venezuelan capital is indeed expected to become a bit more English, though not by driving on the left. In exchange for Venezualan oil to fuel London's buses, Caracas is to receive advice from London on how to improve its transport and waste disposal system.

The deal is a brainchild of President Hugo Chavez and the London mayor Ken Livingstone. Announced as a model of solidarity between two socialist allies last year, it is now beginning to take shape.

London is to receive a discount valued at $30m a year on oil for its buses, to be translated into half-price tickets for 250,000 people on income support. Although some critics have argued that it is wrong for one of the world's richest cities to receive subsidies from a country where most people live in slums.

Caracas has major problems. Average rush hour speeds are less than 15km/h, and many vehicles are old and un-roadworthy, including many of the buses, which spew black fumes and travel with open bonnets to avoid overheating. It is not uncommon to see drivers swigging from beer bottles, and police intervene only if there has been an accident.

"And when that happens you just bribe your way out of trouble," said Raphael Frias, a taxi driver.

An oil-driven boom has doubled the number of cars on the road in recent years, and at just 12 cents a gallon, motorists have little incentive to conserve petrol. In January Chavez promised to increase the price but has not followed through with this.

Most Caracas commuters seem unaware that London is being called in to help. "Hadn't heard about it. If it helps sort out the mess here it's money well spent. But I have to say I'm sceptical," said Francisco Perez, 34, waiting for a bus home.

Glossary

gridlock

(noun) when roads are too crowded and traffic cannot move at all

expertise

(noun) expert knowledge in a particular job or subject

income support

(noun) the money that the government gives to people who have no income or a very low income

un-roadworthy

(adjective) when a car is in such poor condition that it is dangerous

Questions

The questions below are divided into three groups - before, during and after reading the above article.

Before reading

The article is about the capital of Britain and the capital of ___.

1. Syria
2. Colombia
3. Venezuela
4. Thailand

The city of London is helping Caracas with its ___ problems.

1. street crime
2. transport
3. housing
4. drug

The city of Caracas is giving London some cheap ___.

1. food
2. buses
3. cars
4. fuel

While reading

Read the first four paragraphs again and answer these questions

1. What does the journalist compare the traffic jam to? Why?
2. In the first paragraph, which people are ... looking and doing nothing/going on the pavement/buying beer/running out of the way of motor-cyclists?
3. Where does Ricardo Torres go? Why?
4. Why does Torres say that it's "just like England"?
5. What will the oil be used for?
6. Which two men thought of this deal?
7. What is the political background of the two men?

Read the rest of the article from paragraph five onwards. In which paragraph (5 to 9) can you find the following information? Write down the numbers.

1. Few people in Caracas know that experts from London are helping their city.
2. Some people think it's wrong for a rich city to get subsidies from a poor city.
3. A lot of the buses in Caracas are old and cause serious pollution.
4. A quarter of a million people in London will get cheaper public transport.
5. Cheap petrol has dramatically increase the number of cars in Caracas.
6. Traffic moves at a slow average speed during Caracas' rush hour.
7. A taxi driver says that drivers can avoid traffic offences by giving money to the police.

Read through the article again and then take brief notes about all the traffic-related problems in Caracas that are mentioned/

After reading

Vocabulary relating to a deal - Read the summary of the article below. Use the following words to complete the text -

Word search - vocabulary related to cars and buses. Search across and down in the word square to find 10 more words from the article. Look back and find the words from the grid in the context of the article. What other words or phrases are they used together with? For example: In the evening rush hour

Activity - Discussion

Work in small groups. Think about the town or city that you live in (or nearest town/city).

1. Look back at your list of traffic-related problems from the 'While Reading' questions, exercise three. Which of these traffic problems can you find in your own city?
2. What other traffic or transport problems do you have in your city?
3. What solution could you find for each problem?