Blogs
Remove Busega-Kyengera roundabout to ease traffic gridlock
The Busega-Kyengera traffic jam makes life unbearably hard. Motorists and passengers sit in gridlock for hours, exposing them to criminal elements and gangs around the junctions, the Northern Bypass and the express highway, writes W. Ntambaazi
George W. Ntambaazi. (File)
By: Admin ., Journalist @New Vision
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OPINION
By George W. Ntambaazi
President Museveni is commended for having ordered the numerous road works around Kampala metropolitan, although the technical teams need to increase on the speed to counter the impact of the heavy rains. Plans by Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA), when effected, to remove the Kibuye roundabout and expand Queen’s Way into a six-lane road will also greatly ease traffic.
The Busega-Kyengera roundabout is another troubling area that collects a lot of traffic. Being the gateway to and from Kampala City to the southern part of our country, internally connecting to busy routes such as Entebbe Airport via the Express Highway, Mityana-Mubende and Masaka roads to the South, it needs urgent attention.
The ring also connects to the strategic Northern corridor to Tanzania, Rwanda and Eastern DR Congo, facilitating huge volumes of business. As a result, numerous cars, taxis, buses, commercial motorcycles (bodabodas), trucks, tuk-tuks and pedestrians jostle for space, creating a choreography of chaos.
The traffic jam madness reaches its crescendo in the rush morning hours (6:00 – 10:0aam) and in the evening (5:00-11pm) as people rush to and from work. It is worse in the rainy season or times when students are returning or coming back from school. On top of time wasted, millions of shillings are lost in productivity terms as over 10.000 vehicles take the roads every day.
Busega-Kyengera traffic jam makes life unbearably hard. Motorists and passengers sit in the traffic gridlock for hours, exposing them to criminal elements and gangs around the junctions, northern bypass, and express highway. Whereas Police and armoured vehicles have been stationed at the centre of this roundabout, overseeing traffic flow and monitoring security incidents, ironically, this has not reduced traffic delays, collisions, injuries and fatalities.
This being Kisanja no Sleep, the Hon. Byamukama Fred, Minister of Works and Transport, KCCA, and Local authorities should devise simple and imaginative solutions such as removing or upgrading the roundabout from a single-lane to a multi-lane intersection to keep traffic moving freely, ease mobility, and enhance metropolitan urban connectivity. Otherwise, it is very annoying, time-consuming and an embarrassment to spend almost two hours from the city centre to Kyengera town, a 13km distance that should ordinarily take 25-30 minutes due to traffic clogging the already choked narrow roads.
The ring also connects to the strategic Northern corridor to Tanzania, Rwanda and Eastern DR Congo, facilitating huge volumes of business. As a result, numerous cars, taxis, buses, commercial motorcycles (bodabodas), trucks, tuk-tuks and pedestrians jostle for space, creating a choreography of chaos.
The traffic jam madness reaches its crescendo in the rush morning hours (6:00 – 10:0aam) and in the evening (5:00-11pm) as people rush to and from work. It is worse in the rainy season or times when students are returning or coming back from school. On top of time wasted, millions of shillings are lost in productivity terms as over 10.000 vehicles take the roads every day.
Busega-Kyengera traffic jam makes life unbearably hard. Motorists and passengers sit in the traffic gridlock for hours, exposing them to criminal elements and gangs around the junctions, northern bypass, and express highway. Whereas Police and armoured vehicles have been stationed at the centre of this roundabout, overseeing traffic flow and monitoring security incidents, ironically, this has not reduced traffic delays, collisions, injuries and fatalities.
This being Kisanja no Sleep, the Hon. Byamukama Fred, Minister of Works and Transport, KCCA, and Local authorities should devise simple and imaginative solutions such as removing or upgrading the roundabout from a single-lane to a multi-lane intersection to keep traffic moving freely, ease mobility, and enhance metropolitan urban connectivity. Otherwise, it is very annoying, time-consuming and an embarrassment to spend almost two hours from the city centre to Kyengera town, a 13km distance that should ordinarily take 25-30 minutes due to traffic clogging the already choked narrow roads.
The ongoing works to tarmac and upgrade the alternative strategic routes including Kisubi-Nakawuka Nateete road (27kms), Nakawuka-Kasanje Mpigi road (22kms) and Nakawuka-Mawagulu-Nanziga- Maya Road (11kms) and Kasanje-Buwaya (114kms) are also at a slow pace.
Another option, the Busega-Mpigi expressway, which should have provided anchorage, is almost five years behind schedule, planned construction having been planned earlier for 2019-2024. Recent press reports alluded to the fact that the construction has been delayed because of land acquisition bottlenecks and accountability gaps, prompting President Museveni this year in June to order the Inspectorate of Government to investigate some officials.
As a result, the IGG hired Stanfield Partners on a 21-day technical consultancy to provide technical support for her investigations into aspects of the land acquisition and compensation process previously undertaken by the defunct UNRA.
So, despite major national road upgrades by the Government, progress on easing traffic congestion at Busega-Kyengera has been relatively slow. We need to think out of the box.
Ntambaazi is a concerned resident of Kyengera town, Wakiso District
Another option, the Busega-Mpigi expressway, which should have provided anchorage, is almost five years behind schedule, planned construction having been planned earlier for 2019-2024. Recent press reports alluded to the fact that the construction has been delayed because of land acquisition bottlenecks and accountability gaps, prompting President Museveni this year in June to order the Inspectorate of Government to investigate some officials.
As a result, the IGG hired Stanfield Partners on a 21-day technical consultancy to provide technical support for her investigations into aspects of the land acquisition and compensation process previously undertaken by the defunct UNRA.
So, despite major national road upgrades by the Government, progress on easing traffic congestion at Busega-Kyengera has been relatively slow. We need to think out of the box.
Ntambaazi is a concerned resident of Kyengera town, Wakiso District