Today,
more than half of our kind lives in cities. Moreover, cities are the engines of
economic growth. More than 60 percent of global GDP is generated by only 600
cities. Nairobi generates 45 percent of Kenya’s GDP. There is power in the
city. But with this power come not just promise, but pain.
A majority of cities in the developing world,
especially our very own Nairobi has long way to go in terms of quality of life.
Poor quality of life is visible in squalid slums. Poor quality of life is evident
in painful or fatal commute. Dysfunctional urban transportation comes at a
steep cost. Costs related to loss of productivity, safety and air quality.
According
data published in 2009 by Kenya Police and Kenya National Bureau of Statistics,
Nairobi accounted for 30 percent and 28 percent of traffic injuries and
fatalities respectively. A study by researchers from Columbia University and
University of Nairobi revealed that Nairobi residents were exposed to elevated
concentrations of fine particle air pollution, due in large part to motor
vehicle emissions, with potentially serious long-term implications for human health.
While they occupy two percent of global land area, cities account for 70
percent of greenhouse gas emissions, which cause global warming.
Kenya’s
urban population is in the throes of unprecedented expansion, with cities
expected to be home to over 40 million Kenyans by 2050. The most urgent
challenge, therefore, is achieving a sustainable and equitable growth for our
cities. A transportation network, the circulatory system, which connects people
to recreation, vital services and economic opportunities can deliver or torpedo
the promise of urbanization.
On
average, it takes about one hour to drive between University Way roundabout and
Nyayo Stadium, a distance of about 3 kilometers. The 2011 IBM Global Commuter Pain survey ranked Nairobi as the fourth most
grueling commute of 20 cities surveyed. It is estimated that traffic congestion
costs the city of Nairobi circa Ksh.50, 000,000 every day in lost productivity
and gas bills – a figure equivalent to 2010/11 CDF allocations to Westlands
Constituency. I am not sure how this number was arrived at, and by whom. But it
is a monumental waste.
Over 61 percent of Nairobi residents polled in the IBM survey said
traffic was affecting their productivity, forcing them to sacrifice time with
their families and output work in order to get to commute between engagement destinations.
Nairobi’s traffic gridlock does not make for a drop dead an attractive destination
for investors or a liveable city where world-class talent would want to come.
Hence, the choices we make on Nairobi’s transport system today will have
lasting consequences on mobility, investor appeal, economic opportunity, health
and safety.
Solutions
to the traffic mess in Nairobi need not be complex engineering or technology
solutions. On the contrary, superhighways, moronic traffic lights or swanky
railway stations have come at a huge cost, without easing congestion. To cure
Nairobi of the cancer of traffic gridlock will require political will from both
levels of government, a shift in the mindset of transportation and land use
planners, and the commuting public.
We
can take six bold steps to eliminate traffic congestion, raise revenue, reduce
air pollution, improve health and safety and save $220 million in productivity
losses annually– a cost equivalent to building one Thika Superhighway a year. They
include:
1.
Identifying and acquiring land within a radius
of 10km to the north, east, west and south of the CBD and building park– and –
ride facilities. This can be expedited through a public private partnership,
providing safe and scheduled commuter busses;
2.
Eliminating 25-50% of street-level parking in
the CBD and pedestrianize the street using exemplar model of Mama Ngina Street;
3.
Making it mandatory for developers of office
buildings to provide for all parking requirements for their tenants within the
building;
4.
Designating a congestion charge zone around the
CBD between 07:00hrs and 18:00hrs and instituting an appropriate congestion
charge;
5.
Encouraging mixed-use development in the CBD
area and encourage high-rise apartment development in the city core to forestall
proliferation of suburban neighborhoods; and,
6.
Removing policemen from roundabouts controlled
by traffic lights.
More
importantly, we must focus on emerging cities like Machakos, Kakamega, Homabay,
Muranga, and Bomet. They offer an opportunity to avoid path dependence and lock-in
effects, which present a huge barrier to designing a sensible urban transport
system for Nairobi.
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