Type
Position Papers
Author
Marius de Langen, Theo Rwebangira, Enoch Kitandu and Stephen Mburu
Organization
UNESCO-IHE, (the Netherlands), University of Dar es Salaam (Tanzania), Nairobi City Council (Kenya)
Published in
2003
Submitted by
Peter Midgley, gTKP
Related theme(s)
Urban Mobility
Region
Africa (AFR)
Country
International

Urban road design in Africa: the role of traffic calming facilities

In Dar es Salaam and Morogoro, Tanzania, a range of traffic calming interventions were implemented in 1996-99. Their immediate effects have been reported earlier. This paper summarises an evaluation of their long-term impact, with the aim to increase understanding of the performance of various traffic calming facilities in African road and traffic conditions, in particular: their lasting impact on traffic safety and efficiency, and their maintenance requirements.

The most important finding is the great effectiveness of the raised zebra crossing. This facility has a very positive permanent effect on the traffic flow, has low maintenance requirements (if well designed and constructed) and, combined with other measures (a/o the systematic use of minibus bays/platforms) can play an important role in increasing the efficiency of informal public transport. The long-term impact of a range of other interventions is also documented in the paper.