Easing traffic gridlock should be a priority

Traffic jams have become a permanent feature on Nairobi roads. The Nairobi County Deputy Governor, Mr Jonathan Mueke, was recently quoted as saying that traffic jams cost the city Sh50 million a day. FILE PHOTO 

In Summary

• Let’s have a system where some arrive at work at 7am and leave at 4pm; another group reports at 9am and departs at 6pm and yet another reports at 11am and departs at 8pm.
• The cost of traffic congestion is very high. The Nairobi County Deputy Governor, Mr Jonathan Mueke, was recently quoted as saying that traffic jams cost the city Sh50 million a day. That’s a monumental loss by any standard.

By FRED GORI
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When Nairobians went to the polls in March last year to elect their first governor, they most likely wanted a leader who could find long-lasting solutions to traffic congestion. Ten months later, very little has changed.






Going by what we see on social media, many Nairobians share a dry sense of humour, a subconscious way of dealing with high levels of stress.

I was having a debate on social media the other day with some Nairobians about the ‘return of traffic jam’ to Kenya’s most significant piece of infrastructure development, the Thika Superhighway. Some wondered how the situation would have been like, if at present levels, we were to turn the clock back 10 years.

Whereas good, wide roads do play an important role in the management of traffic, by themselves, they cannot end traffic gridlock in a city, which is growing populous at an alarming rate.

The cost of traffic congestion is very high. The Nairobi County Deputy Governor, Mr Jonathan Mueke, was recently quoted as saying that traffic jams cost the city Sh50 million a day. That’s a monumental loss by any standard.

But the cost can also be looked at in qualitative terms manifested in reduced quality of life due to traffic-related stress, dysfunctional families, road rage, and accidents.

So, what can the city do to save itself from this unceasing pain? To begin with, why should the whole city troop into offices at 8am and leave for home at 5pm? Are we more productive this way? The answer is no! We waste too much time in traffic, arrive at work already tired and get home too late to spend quality time with our families.

Let’s have a system where some arrive at work at 7am and leave at 4pm; another group reports at 9am and departs at 6pm and yet another reports at 11am and departs at 8pm.

A number of bank branches already open their doors up to 8pm while a number of supermarkets remain open 24 hours, so this proposal is not unique.

Secondly the city must invest, or support investment, in a clean, efficient and reliable public transport system with predictable times, routes and fares. The government can then dangle carrots to encourage Nairobians to leave their cars at home and get on a bus.

With a reliable alternative, the county government will be justified in raising parking fees to act as a deterrent for private car-owners who insist on driving to work.

Finally, in spite of the teething challenges witnessed so far, the concept of devolution holds a lot of promise both in terms of hastening development throughout the country and decongesting the city as more Nairobians migrate to the counties to take advantage of the opportunities created there.

Mr Gori is a Public Relations specialist based in Nairobi. (fredgori@gmail.com)