Last week during an investor
interaction Kampala Capital City
Authority (KCCA) officials called on police to stop overriding traffic lights
while directing traffic.
KCCA argues that the traffic lights are large
investment and it makes no sense for police to countermand them.
In a classic case of “The importance of the
river was not known till it dried up” on Friday the traffic police desisted
from directing cars at the traffic lights leading to the worst traffic snarl-up
in the city’s history. People were stuck in traffic jams around the city for
hours and long into the night.
Maybe it was the unhappy coincidence of
the traditional Friday traffic and pre-Christmas excitement but without the
traffic police directing traffic it was a mess. They made their point.
It of course points to the bigger issue of
a revamping of Kampala’s road network, which has remained largely the same since independence but with
an exponential increase in cars in the last three decades.
KCCA has done a fantastic job in the
ongoing road rehabilitation project around the city and one would be foolish
not to recognize and applaud that.
But the issue of congestation in the city
will not be eased by widening old roads, building flyovers or even new roads.
Studies done by other cities have shown that improvements in road
infrastructure may ease traffic flow in the short term but it is only a
temporary fix. A more durable solution is restrict the number of cars coming
into the city altogether.
An increase in parking fees earlier this
year has come with some noticeable change, it is much easier to find parking in
the Central Business District (CBD) today than it was months ago. A good start.
KCCA needs to go further and workout a
mechanism for charging people driving into town. This “congestion tax” has been
applied in cities around the world to great effect.
This should be coupled with a comprehensive
public transport strategy that would make it not so painful for people to leave
their cars at home, unless absolutely necessary.
The truth is we already have the building
blocks of a robust public transport system with our taxi services – which need
some organization but nevertheless perform a critical function, and the various
car hire services.
The boda bodas only contribute to
congestion and the difficulty of maneuvering around the city for other road
users. I support efforts to restrict
them to the suburbs at the earliest opportunity.
Of course we are long overdue for a bus
service and it is not much to wish for a train service.
That being said the traffic police play an
important role, which as we saw on Friday, we take for granted. Traffic control
is a science. In a country where the majority of drivers did not go to proper
driving school and therefore do not know traffic rules or appreciate road
etiquette, the role of the traffic police is doubly important.
And it is clearly not an easy job when not
only are you shepherding Kampala’s bad mannered drivers but also battling the
elements to deliver the service.
After some thought and given the critical
work that they do to keep this city working I propose, and I am willing to
oversee, a fund in which we can collect
money, a token of appreciation for the work they do.
And given the timing this can be a
Christmas bonus to the men in white from grateful road users of this town.
(DECEMBER 2017)
Comments
Post a Comment