Causes and cost of traffic jams in Kampala

Abstract

This article investigates the causes and cost of traffic jam in Kampala, through a survey of 291 road users. Narrow roads, indisciplined drivers, poor urban planning, limited car parking and concentration of most economic and social activities in the city were found to be some of the major causes of traffic jams. Travellers lose between 8 and 23 hours every month in traffic jams, with car travel speeds falling from an average of 28 km/h when there is no jam, to between 8 and 14km/h because of traffic jams. Traffic jams could also be lowering the country’s GDP to the tune of UGX 55-163 billion per year due to lost productive time while stuck in traffic jams. To alleviate traffic jams, the article recommends a variety of mitigation strategies from building flyovers and improving the quality of alternative routes, to improving traffic management operations, with congestion pricing believed to likely have the most dramatic effect on traffic congestion. The article further recommends objective involvement of all key stakeholders in the process of determining mitigation policy options, team-working and coordination amongst the agencies responsible for traffic control in the city, and conducting economic analysis for all policy options and prioritizing based on their return on investment and contribution to productivity.