There existed a dance crew in the late 8Os known as Jam City. They danced the robot style, which in hindsight was a futurist impression of robotic lives we would live in the noughties. They saw it coming, the long traffic train and the parking lots that stretched onto our highways during peak hours.
Nairobi traffic is legendary and the city is maintaining a top 5 ranking in the world. I know a true story of a friend who dropped his brother off at the airport. His brother got to Joburg in South Africa before his sibling could get back home in Doonholm estate less than 5kms away.
In the west, people fret over the weather. In Nairobi, congestion on the roads is a way of life, like grand corruption, bad governance and power black outs. Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero should consider promoting Nairobi traffic congestion as a tourist attraction. They are a sight to behold. Several viewing sites overlooking major highways would attract valued tourist dollars.
FAIRLY NORMAL
Spending a minimum of 2 hours a day wasting your life away in traffic is fairly normal. More people would walk if they didn’t live so far from their places of work or did not have such acute middle class hangs ups. Cycling would have been a viable option if companies provided showers. Motorcycles would have seemed like a good idea if boda boda riders weren’t so suicidal and car owners had respect for two wheelers.
Public transport leaves one at the mercy of the driver’s mood, which is typically foul on a good day. Matatus hurtle down highways in a perennial chase for business.
CLOGGED TRAFFIC
Those who own cars, on the receiving end of the matatu madness would have liked to see them all banned. But everyone needs a matatu. With parking rates up at Sh300 a day, parking in the city will become a luxury that most can do without. You also need matatu drivers for their ingenious solutions to beat clogged traffic. When the jam is bad, we look out to matatus to lead us out of the mess.
Motoring experts claim that they are about 1000 cars joining our roads every week. Picture the crowded Jomo Kenyatta public beach in Nyali over Christmas. Then give everyone on it a car and ask the all to get to the office at the same time. This is the reality of driving in Nairobi and it is going to get a lot worse before it becomes better.
The new laws are helping, however, teaching old dogs new tricks does take time. An obedient citizen stopping for the red light at night will attract the wrath of other drivers traumatised by thought of getting caught in a jam! There is talk of a revolutionary plan for a mass transportation system in the city. There was also talk of water for all before the year 2000.
In the meantime, one has to maintain sanity when dealing with Nairobi’s traffic. A traffic jam could pop up anywhere and anytime. All it requires is two obtuse drivers in a hurry to get it started. There is little you can do about it other than listen to your radio, fiddle with your phone, send an angry tweet to Governor Kidero and pray that traffic starts moving before you run out of fuel. In this jam city, you never really learn how to swear until you start driving.