Saturday, July 21, 2012

Solution to road transport problems in Dar es Salaam


Recent announcement by the Ministry of construction of Tanzania to commence construction of overhead routes is a good decision. Road transport in Dar has become not only economic but a serious social problem. Economically many working hours of individuals and public officers are lost in road congestion. I am sure if we calculate the loss is enormous.

Socially, congestion affects the life styles of people in many negative ways. For example an employed person who leaves home at 5.00 in the morning and reach back home at 10.00 pm. They have no enough time to look after their children or their partners at all. That means releasing of family ties which may lead to moral erosion.

Some families both partners are employed and can not go back home until late evening. This means the maids and the garden boys or ‘someone else’ may illegally occupy their roles and manipulate their children the way they want. This also leads to moral erosion. Mothers should see their children leaving to schools and at least receiving them when they come back. The family leaders now do not share the home prepared food. They take lunch at work places because they are sure they will be backing home very late.

Of course there are so many reasons for the government to take efforts to solve the transport problem. There was a plan to execute express large busses but I was always wondering where the roads which can be accessed by those busses were. I believed that the project is just a dream. Now the construction of overhead routes has been announced. This is only one way to solve the problem. Other measures to be taken could be:
i)                    Increasing the number of roads which remove vehicles from the town centre. Two more routes are needed which would reduce the number of vehicles which use the present routes.
ii)                   Those busses which travel between Mwenge and Tandika, Temeke, Mbagala and Gongo la Mboto should not allowed to cross the town centre. They must use the route outside the Town. I mean when some one want to go to Mbagala must either go to the main terminal at Kariakoo or must go to Mwenge or Ubungo or somewhere else out side the City.
I hope the government will give the overhead route project its priority and will not be delayed like the express busses project.

No comments:

Post a Comment