Nairobi Kenya: Rethink new city traffic control proposals

Under the newly launched traffic management and control measures announced last week, it is a huge relief to motorists that five roundabouts along Uhuru Highway will be removed to ease traffic flow in the city.

The roundabouts between Uhuru Highway and University Way, Kenyatta Avenue and Haile Selassie Avenue and between Bunyala and Lusaka roads will be replaced with traffic light intersections.

In the proposed designs, while the emphasis seems to be on ensuring drivers do not make right or left turns, motorists will be compelled to drive through intersections and move further away from their desired destination to make a U-turn then drive into their preferred direction.

It is these U-turns that have caused traffic snarl-ups along the major roads like Mombasa Road as the vehicles wait to join on-coming traffic.

For instance, motorists will no longer be able to access Westlands from the round-about and will have to drive further into Waiyaki Way, make a U-turn and drive back and make the left turn.

Those heading to Lang'ata road will no longer make a right turn at the current Lusaka intersection.

Motorists will conceivably be compelled to drive past Nyayo Stadium intersection towards Mombasa Road and make a U-turn, creating another snarl-up.

Signalised four-way stops that allow left and right turn, and which have worked successfully in the United States, could be worth considering instead.

With the circles gone, the intersections can be converted into four-way stops with traffic lights and an additional extreme right lane that would allow motorists to strictly make a left turn on a green arrow traffic light and give the vehicles longer time.

When done, the system would allow oncoming vehicles to proceed without facing obstruction.

The design also allows dual direction vehicles to move simultaneously.

For example at Haile Selassie-Uhuru highway, vehicles driving into and leaving the CBD can move at the same time without having to compel one side to stop and yield to oncoming traffic.

In the long term, building overpasses to allow smooth flow of traffic could be the perfect antidote to Nairobi's notorious traffic snarl ups.