• Traffic is so bad that officials have blocked certain roads during peak hours, allowing freer traffic flow on other roads
• Critics say it's aimed at benefitting private motorists heading to the leafy suburbs of Nyali, meanwhile stranding thousands in the CBD
Image: Maureen Mudi
Two months ago, Mombasa county responded to the perennial traffic snarl-ups delaying movement to and from the island by introducing a ‘happy hour’ to reduce peak-hour traffic.
No, there are no happy hour drinks and no, not everyone is happy. The county says it's temporary until they come up with something better.
During happy hour, the county blocks incoming lanes to the CBD from the Shell petrol station along Fidel Odinga road in Nyali all the way to Coast General Hospital along Tom Mboya Avenue.
This move aims to clear the backlog of outbound traffic by allowing flow on both lanes for a specific period of time, depending on traffic.
Meanwhile, another snarl-up of inbound vehicles builds up at the opposite end. given that the matatus have to make return trips to the CBD to pick more passengers.
The move has generated mixed reactions from commuters and others, some praising it and others vehemently opposing the intervention. They say it favours only those living in Niali but inconveniences others.
Everyone agrees on one thing: The road infrastructure in Mombasa is overwhelmed by traffic and is in dire need of an overhaul.
County officials say the happy hour intervention has helped lessen the traffic jam as four lanes are available for single-direction traffic flow to clear the outbound backlog.
Commuter Bob Anunda says by holding the PSVs outside the CBD for a prolonged period, new confusion is created by prolonging the evening peak hour to the inconvenience of commuters.
“The gist of this plan is to benefit a small section of private motorists headed to the leafy Nyali suburb. leaving thousands of commuters stranded for hours in the CBD,” Anunda said.
The situation has been made worse by the indefinite closure of a section of Tom Mboya Avenue, which is currently under routine maintenance.
Coast regional traffic commandant Jetani Wako yesterday told the Star the happy hour only advantages Nyali-bound vehicles past the Nyali Bridge but has not adequately addressed the other mainland routes, which are equally affected like Changamwe, Kisauni and Mombasa North.
“The intervention is temporary and we are still studying how best to go about it but all in all we need to expand the existing infrastructure by introducing new routes and passenger dropping and picking points,” he said.
He said during the Easter weekend, the traffic police will be deployed to marshal traffic in major intersections and sections that have the most traffic, especially the Bamburi beach line where many entertainment spots are located.
Mombasa Matatu Owners Association chairman Ali Bates says his association fully supports the happy hour as it has greatly increased their turn over for the Nyali and Bamburi routes.
“Before the introduction of the happy hour, we used to make five trips per day but now our vehicles make eight trips. This is because unlike automated traffic lights, human traffic marshals better understand the traffic flow dynamics at certain times of the day and are able to allow more passage time of the most,” Bates said.
Transport executive Tawfiq Balala said the county is studying a transport system expected to be implemented in Mombasa which would probably be Bus Rapid Transport (BRT).
He said the plan will see all roundabouts removed and electric poles moved to allow space for an extra lane for the BRT. He did not provide timelines or a budget.
“The challenge is that the city is a mixture of commercial and residential purposes and its population has drastically grown," Balala said. "This poses challenges such as traffic but with the right involvement of development partners we shall change our city for the better."
(Edited by V. Graham)