Intelligent traffic management benefits economy

The importance of re-imagining urban spaces to improve the quality of life of workers – and residents – is all too often sacrificed at the altar of politics.

This is especially common in developing countries such as Kenya, where urban spaces hold the key to economic prosperity for large swathes of the population.

Urban spaces, being the life and blood of modern economies, play as critical a role in national growth as do agriculture and manufacturing.

All three are critical for mass sustenance and for guaranteeing economic production as a national undertaking geared at creating jobs, driving exports and, ultimately, reducing poverty.

In too many towns across the country today, traffic congestion has emerged as a serious challenge, not only because it takes workers longer before they can become productive each morning, but also because spending too much time in traffic has a direct cost on economy and livelihoods, especially for investors and workers in the transport sector.

This is a critical concern where public transport is controlled by small-scale private investors.

In the long term, it becomes all too clear that persistent traffic congestion in urban spaces degrades national culture by increasing appetite for short-cuts and bribery. 

One of the reasons public service vehicles (PSV) flout traffic rules and regulations has to do with that they would otherwise take too long to get to their destinations.

That, in turn – and without excusing their disregard for rules – means both vehicle owners and workers routinely suffer from delayed incomes per trip and sub-optimal incomes per day.

In other words, obeying traffic rules increases their inefficiency. This, by extension, severely compromises their willingness to adhere to rules and regulations.

Thus, they end up putting other road users at risk of injury, death, or other forms of loss, including damage of vehicles due to otherwise avoidable collisions.

This explains one, why PSV account for a large number of traffic infringements per capita and two, the high human cost of traffic infringements in urban areas, including deaths of pedestrians and high numbers of injuries and fatalities blamed on motorcycle taxis which form part of the public transport system.

These problems present a perennial headache for urban planners, political leaders and policy makers because they must constantly be engaged to find solutions.

In the past, there was a widely held view that expanding urban roads would solve some problems; unfortunately, challenges such as fatal crashes have increased in tandem with these efforts.

Kenya’s driving culture has also deteriorated, making it necessary to redesign roads to ensure PSV literally stick to their lanes. 

However, in the absence of an intelligence traffic management system, road design risks becoming a bottleneck to efficient urban transport, as is evident at Globe Cinema and Haile Selassie roundabouts in Nairobi.

Thus, it becomes important to experiment–and eventually roll out–intelligent systems that will guarantee road users two advantages: reducing time spent idling in traffic and increasing compliance with road safety rules and regulations.

Once these goals are achieved, they will free up police from the menial job of managing traffic – especially at intersections – to actually enforcing compliance with traffic rules. Over time, this will modify driver behaviour and make roads safer.

In parts of Nairobi where the Kenya Urban Roads Authority has rolled out intelligent traffic management and control systems, driver compliance has recorded a significant increase largely because waiting times, especially at intersections, have been almost halved.

It is also much easier to identify, isolate and punish offenders. But for the system to work over the long haul, public agencies and the police ought to increase their engagement with private enterprises that harness technology to offer solutions.

Such partnerships will require adoption of e-policing, which is more efficient than stationing officers on roads.

This way, they will improve road user experience and reduce infringements, and thus make urban roads safer. — The writer is a partner and head of content at House Of Romford