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It is ironic that Nairobi, a city with a potential of growing its transport system to a world-class model, continue to face some of the biggest challenges in the world. Traffic congestion, unpredictable public transport system and unclear regulatory structure.
Traffic congestion according to James Gachanja, a policy analyst at Kenya Institute for Public Policy Research and Analysis (KIPPRA), is conceivably one of the key concerns affecting the performance of Nairobi’s transport system.
In his research, Mitigating Road Traffic Congestion in the Nairobi Metropolitan Region, the report estimates that in 2008, the economic cost of traffic jams in Nairobi Metropolitan Region (NMR) stood at Sh1.9 billion annually, on account of cost of additional time spent on travel due to congestion.
The situation has worsened since the undertaking of KIPPRA research two years ago.
Advanced cities like Dubai, got it spot-on with the help of correct policies and political will, tactical ingredients Kenya is still wrestling with.
Unlike Dubai, with a fully automated public transport bus system – the Dubai Metro, run by Roads and Transport Authority (RTA), Kenya’s pursuit to advance its own was widely met with unreserved rebuff from industry cartels, notably the matatu crews who famously opposed the cashless payment system that was executed in Nairobi's buses and matatus.
The system was to get commuters top up the card, then conductor taps it to a phone, and a set amount is charged. The commuter would then receive a confirmation SMS. Matatu and bus touts, instead chose to bypass the system, a recessive greed that tossed aside those efforts to date.
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The Dubai’s large and advanced bus system has is 47-mile-long with 193 routes on weekdays and transports over 30 million people weekly[/caption]
The Dubai’s large and advanced bus system has is 47-mile-long with 193 routes on weekdays and transports over 30 million people weekly compared to Nairobi where the sector is vastly controlled by several PSVs, now managed by Saccos but still systematized by ‘brokers.’
A commuter in a Dubai Metro for instance is issued a pocket guide while traveling and the ride comes with special package like free Wi-Fi and accessibility for passengers with special needs. Their world-class airports area also installed with free Wi-Fi.
Passengers using Dubai’s public transport system rose to 543.6million last year against 539.5million the year before, according to figures by RTA. The average daily passengers on public transport system, comprising of metro, trams, buses, marine transit and taxis (Dubai Taxi and franchise companies) grew by 1.5million.
Pedestrians’ defiance on traffic rules is still chocking government’s hard work. Despite the national government spending an arm and a leg on footbridges, pedestrians still disregard them, and prefer to dash across highways, caring less about oncoming vehicles. In Dubai’s pulsating heartbeat, pedestrians religiously monitor traffic lights, day or night, irrespective of authorities’ belvedere.
Dubai came up with a new law in 2009 on vehicle ownership that ultimately reduced an average age of vehicles on Dubai roads to 5.6 years compared to Kenya’s 8 years. This way the UAE country has managed to ease congestion over time.
The average age of vehicles on roads in the UK is 6.7 years, it is 8 years in the US, 10.3 years in Australia and 15 years in Bulgaria.
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Passengers using Dubai’s public transport system rose to 543.6million last year against 539.5million the year before, according to figures by RTA[/caption]
The two cities are however still battling a familiar test, population growth which will most certainly continue to have adverse implications on the transport system and traffic congestion. In 2009, the population of the Nairobi Metro was around 6,658,000; it is estimated that under a “business as usual scenario,” the population will grow to approximately 14 million by 2030, while Dubai’s resident population is also projected to grow by 5million over the same period up from the current 2.7million residents.
Kenya is making great strides on roads and airport expansions, but sanitization of public transport system, vehicle ownership and proper transport planning are still a contest.
With Dubai’s infrastructural example, Kenya must diversify its own so its people see the benefits.
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