Kampala traffic gets big change

Anxious businesses

Everybody is anxious but not everyone is happy. As dust by the road construction workers billowed outside his shop on Luwum Street, Badru Kiberu, who sells watches, looked on sadly. He told The Independent that ever since the project started, business along the road has dwindled dramatically and traders continue to count losses.

“This project is good for pedestrians but not us,” he said.

He said business on Luwum Street came mainly from car driving shoppers who prefer to park and shop and not the hordes of traders that crowd the Kikuubo and Namirembe section that KCCA appears to be targeting.

“Most of our customers used to be people who don’t want to go downtown but want to make a brief stop near our shops, buy a shirt or watch and go away,” he told The Independent. He does not see customers returning even after the opening of the ‘pedestrian shopping street’ – because cars will no longer be allowed in.

His neighbour, Brenda, a dealer in wedding clothes, says the project has ruined her.

“Customers cannot come here anymore because the city has a problem of parking space,” she said, “For pedestrians, it is okay but for customers who come to specifically buy stuff here, it is difficult.”

But when The Independent spoke to KCCA officials about the worried traders, they said the traders will come to love the project when it is completed this March.

The KCCA Executive Director Andrew Kitaka told The Independent on Feb. 14 that “by March 2020, residents of Kampala will enjoy shopping without worrying about speeding bodas and taxis.”

“And we are certain businesses will record high sales with more people shopping,” he said.

He said the authority chose this stretch because it is a high-density pedestrian area but it lacked designated space for people to walk and shop.

“Shopping along this corridor was unpleasant and as a result, businesses lost out on potential customers, as many opted not to shop in this unsafe environment.” Kitaka said, “This will change soon.”

In a recent post on KCCA’s Facebook page, Kitaka said Kampala borrowed the design from cities like Jerusalem in Israel where part of the city’s business district was redesigned in 2011 to only be accessible by light rail. No cars are allowed in the redesigned area and the number of shoppers increased because it was more accessible, and the shopping experience more pleasant.

Kitaka says even in Jerusalem, business owners had earlier objected to the project during the construction phase but realized unmatched profits and they are big supporters of pedestrian shopping streets.

“The business community should not worry that this will negatively affect their business. Actually, it will enhance their business through reduction of congestion, improved safety/security for all and creation of easier access to the area for pedestrians.”

Peter Kaujju, the KCCA publicist told The Independent on Feb. 14 that the authority is certain there is going to be more traffic of pedestrians along the redesigned route and traders will get more business. Instead, Kaujju says, KCCA is more concerned about the street furniture, street lights, benches, flowers and grass being installed.

“We appeal to business owners, customers, vendors and city residents to support the initiative and protect them all,” he said.

KCCA says a road user satisfaction survey published by the Uganda Road Fund in October last year noted how construction of designated walkways topped the priorities that pedestrians wanted in the city. It was ahead of other priorities like fixing potholes (12%), dust control (11%), construction of more pedestrian crossings (8%) and better road designs (6%).

Happy cyclists

Amanda Ngabirano, a cycling enthusiast and lecturer of urban and regional planning in the Department of Architecture and Physical Planning at Makerere University says she is happy that KCCA has finally come up with a project that targets the majority of city residents.

Ngabirano told The Independent that for this project to succeed there is need for sensitization of the residents so they change their behaviour when it comes to road usage.

“This should be the responsibility of KCCA but also the Traffic Police will have to come in and enforce the regulations,” she said.

Ngabirano wishes KCCA could fast-track the extension plan so that the entire city can have the same network she sees along this stretch.

She says a network that, for instance, makes it easy to walk or cycle from Kalerwe to Old Kampala unhindered would go a long way in making life easier for Kampala’s pedestrians and cyclists.

Charles Waako, a bodaboda cyclist thinks this is positive development for Kampala city which should be embraced by everyone. His only worry also is that the demarcation of the roads for motorists, cyclists and pedestrians might not work unless KCCA sensitizes first and then tries to enforce the laws.

Waako says Ugandans always behave like they are in a hurry.

“I will not be surprised to find bodaboda cyclists in the pedestrian section and pedestrians in the section for the motorcycles,” he said. But KCCA says route guides and traffic signage will be displayed at junctions and all across the route. The authority says it intends to work with its enforcement team and the police to ensure businesses operate smoothly and in accordance with set regulations.

Non-motorized transport includes all forms of movement that do not rely on an engine for mobility. It is recognized as a valuable component of the transport system and the environment due to the various benefits it holds.

Kampala’s aim is to join cities that are realizing the benefits of non-motorized transport and are designing policies, programmes and projects to accommodate non-motorized transport needs.

The city authority says it is also planning to work with a vendor to provide bicycles or scooters for hire along this corridor, which has special bicycle lanes.

Kitaka said successful implementation of the non-motorized pilot project will de-congest this part of the city and lead to wider coverage of the city with such routes in future.

“In addition, walking and cycling are beneficial to the population and have been proved to be an effective control of non-communicable diseases,” he says.

Motorized transport is associated with high fuel prices, air pollution, and traffic congestion which force the government to invest in correcting the damage; including the high environmental impact costs. Cycling and walking, meanwhile, enhance mobility options, offer green transport, and boost the economy. That is the dream KCCA wants to become reality in Kampala.

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