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- Feb 11, 2007
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Dar`s rescue plan to cost the nation $3bn
2008-10-05 11:35:11
By Mbena Mwanatongoni
Nearly 30 years after a plan was originally drafted to mitigate Dar es Salaam`s congestion problems, a new $3bn plan promising modern flyovers and bridges, an overseeing transit authority and shorter commutes will be implemented beginning next year, The Guardian on Sunday has learnt.
The plan as recommended by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is in large part similar to the plan commissioned by the government from Canadian consultants Marshall Macklin Monaghan Ltd in 1979, a plan that would have cost half of what it will today.
That plan was put on pause when Tanzania went to war with Uganda, and then fell by the wayside in the economic turmoil that ensued.
The new city master plan, submitted in June this year, has proposed the construction of flyover bridges at Ubungo, Tazara and Bandari intersections, followed by three more at Mwenge (Sam Nujoma and New Bagamoyo Roads), Morocco and Magomeni intersections and an upgrade to Chang�ombe intersection - all by 2015 - to help alleviate the traffic problems in Dar es Salaam. The 1979 plan had advocated for five flyover intersections by 2005.
With the number of vehicles in Dar es Salaam currently standing at 77,000 and rising, the country`s commercial capital has been grinding to a standstill as traffic congestion continues to worsen day after day.
The average vehicular speed in the city in 2007 was estimated at 25.6km per hour, and will decrease to 10 km per hour in 2030 if nothing is changed, the plan states.
The plan also stresses the importance of developing commerce in self-sustainable satellite centres outside of the Central Business Districts.
These centres, recommended to be developed about 15km outside of the downtown area, would take pressure off the main arterial highways because more people could reach their workplaces and go about daily errands without having to come into town.
The new master plan has noted the fragmented planning process and lack of vertical and horizontal coordination between levels of government and departmental disciplines, creating a gap between concrete needs and actual development and a close to total absence of transparency and accountability.
Economists have agreed that this fragmentation, and the abandonment of the original master plan, has crippled the economy dramatically.
They have said the sooner a project is started the cheaper it will be, citing in particular the always-rising costs of road construction.
Where it would have cost $40,000 to build one kilometre of macadamised road in the 1980s, it now costs $400,000. Though the 1979 master plan had been all but forgotten decades ago, it wasn`t until three years ago that Tanzania asked JICA to provide technical assistance in developing a Dar es Salaam Transport Policy and System Development Master Plan.
The plan, which has been broken into a series of phases lasting until 2030, advocates widening the main arterial highways - Morogoro, New Bagamoyo, Nyerere and Kilwa roads - but also constructing roads parallel to Ali Hassan Mwinyi in the Selander Bridge area, as well as near Morogoro Road, to relieve some of the bottlenecks at rush hour.
JICA also recommended revamping public transportation through more regulation, to encourage more commuters to use public transportation rather than personal vehicles.
The total number of passenger cars plus pick-ups used in Dar es Salaam in 2007 was estimated at 77,800, and it is estimated to increase to 179,800 by 2015 and 515,400 by 2030. Certain quarters in the city claim that the number of vehicles has already reached 300,000.
``It is actually quite difficult to attract people to use public modes of transport as their income increases. However, it is very necessary to increase use of future public modes of transport by taking every opportunity.
One of the guidelines for the future urban development concept is `public transport-oriented development` in which every effort in the field of urban development and transport infrastructure development should be focused on the encouragement of using the public modes through land use planning and quality design,`` the plan states.
JICA recommended the creation of the Dar es Salaam Urban Transport Authority, which would oversee all transport issues, but would focus on improving the quality of commuters.
Streamlining bottlenecks for all drivers would still be a high priority, as the population of Dar es Salaam is expected to climb to 5.8 million - with a workforce of 1.97 million - by 2030, the plan states.
``It is necessary to provide high mobility for car users as well, especially for commercial vehicle operators and high-profile car users,`` it reads. ``For this purpose, some road segments should be designated as `heavy-loaded roads` and `expressways` and should also be provided to cover the whole area of Dar es Salaam.``
Commenting about the 20 years project, Dar es salaam based commuter`s driver Hussein Kikasi said, ``It should not be another report to be dumped in the office`s shelves�let it be fully implemented.``
Reacting to the multibillion plan, Esther William who is a banker said, ``We are leaders in paper work but very poor in implantation�we need actions.``
``I have been here for twenty years now, but every day driving is getting worse in Dar es salaam�We spend more time negotiating on the road than what we spend in workplace and home,`` she told The Guardian on Sunday.
SOURCE: Sunday Observer
2008-10-05 11:35:11
By Mbena Mwanatongoni
Nearly 30 years after a plan was originally drafted to mitigate Dar es Salaam`s congestion problems, a new $3bn plan promising modern flyovers and bridges, an overseeing transit authority and shorter commutes will be implemented beginning next year, The Guardian on Sunday has learnt.
The plan as recommended by the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) is in large part similar to the plan commissioned by the government from Canadian consultants Marshall Macklin Monaghan Ltd in 1979, a plan that would have cost half of what it will today.
That plan was put on pause when Tanzania went to war with Uganda, and then fell by the wayside in the economic turmoil that ensued.
The new city master plan, submitted in June this year, has proposed the construction of flyover bridges at Ubungo, Tazara and Bandari intersections, followed by three more at Mwenge (Sam Nujoma and New Bagamoyo Roads), Morocco and Magomeni intersections and an upgrade to Chang�ombe intersection - all by 2015 - to help alleviate the traffic problems in Dar es Salaam. The 1979 plan had advocated for five flyover intersections by 2005.
With the number of vehicles in Dar es Salaam currently standing at 77,000 and rising, the country`s commercial capital has been grinding to a standstill as traffic congestion continues to worsen day after day.
The average vehicular speed in the city in 2007 was estimated at 25.6km per hour, and will decrease to 10 km per hour in 2030 if nothing is changed, the plan states.
The plan also stresses the importance of developing commerce in self-sustainable satellite centres outside of the Central Business Districts.
These centres, recommended to be developed about 15km outside of the downtown area, would take pressure off the main arterial highways because more people could reach their workplaces and go about daily errands without having to come into town.
The new master plan has noted the fragmented planning process and lack of vertical and horizontal coordination between levels of government and departmental disciplines, creating a gap between concrete needs and actual development and a close to total absence of transparency and accountability.
Economists have agreed that this fragmentation, and the abandonment of the original master plan, has crippled the economy dramatically.
They have said the sooner a project is started the cheaper it will be, citing in particular the always-rising costs of road construction.
Where it would have cost $40,000 to build one kilometre of macadamised road in the 1980s, it now costs $400,000. Though the 1979 master plan had been all but forgotten decades ago, it wasn`t until three years ago that Tanzania asked JICA to provide technical assistance in developing a Dar es Salaam Transport Policy and System Development Master Plan.
The plan, which has been broken into a series of phases lasting until 2030, advocates widening the main arterial highways - Morogoro, New Bagamoyo, Nyerere and Kilwa roads - but also constructing roads parallel to Ali Hassan Mwinyi in the Selander Bridge area, as well as near Morogoro Road, to relieve some of the bottlenecks at rush hour.
JICA also recommended revamping public transportation through more regulation, to encourage more commuters to use public transportation rather than personal vehicles.
The total number of passenger cars plus pick-ups used in Dar es Salaam in 2007 was estimated at 77,800, and it is estimated to increase to 179,800 by 2015 and 515,400 by 2030. Certain quarters in the city claim that the number of vehicles has already reached 300,000.
``It is actually quite difficult to attract people to use public modes of transport as their income increases. However, it is very necessary to increase use of future public modes of transport by taking every opportunity.
One of the guidelines for the future urban development concept is `public transport-oriented development` in which every effort in the field of urban development and transport infrastructure development should be focused on the encouragement of using the public modes through land use planning and quality design,`` the plan states.
JICA recommended the creation of the Dar es Salaam Urban Transport Authority, which would oversee all transport issues, but would focus on improving the quality of commuters.
Streamlining bottlenecks for all drivers would still be a high priority, as the population of Dar es Salaam is expected to climb to 5.8 million - with a workforce of 1.97 million - by 2030, the plan states.
``It is necessary to provide high mobility for car users as well, especially for commercial vehicle operators and high-profile car users,`` it reads. ``For this purpose, some road segments should be designated as `heavy-loaded roads` and `expressways` and should also be provided to cover the whole area of Dar es Salaam.``
Commenting about the 20 years project, Dar es salaam based commuter`s driver Hussein Kikasi said, ``It should not be another report to be dumped in the office`s shelves�let it be fully implemented.``
Reacting to the multibillion plan, Esther William who is a banker said, ``We are leaders in paper work but very poor in implantation�we need actions.``
``I have been here for twenty years now, but every day driving is getting worse in Dar es salaam�We spend more time negotiating on the road than what we spend in workplace and home,`` she told The Guardian on Sunday.
SOURCE: Sunday Observer
