For Africa’s urban dwellers, traffic
is part of life in the big city.
Urbanization rates reached 40
percent in Africa in 2010, and are projected to reach 60 percent in 2050,
according to U.N. Habitat, the U.N. agency for human settlements, VOANews
reported.
Many African cities were poorly
planned, says urban planner Amanda Ngabirano, of Kampala, Uganda.
As African cities began to
grow, they didn’t look to Europe’s transit-friendly street plans, but to
America’s suburban, car-friendly sprawl, said Sunny Kodukula, global
coordinator for EcoMobility.
That could take decades to undo.
Meanwhile, public transport needs a makeover in African cities where
prosperity, for many, means getting your own car.
“Public transport does not have the
image it should have for people to shift from cars to public transport,”
Kodukula told VOA. “People in African cities think public transport is poor, or
not attractive enough for them to shift.”
Los Angeles is notorious for
horrible traffic. You can find thousands of images of its freeways crammed with
headlights that go on for miles. In New York, you only get in a car if you have
to. Walking is usually faster than sitting on the roads. Africa’s traffic
troubles rival those of the famous U.S. Route 101 in California.
Here are 12 African cities with the
worst traffic.
Lusaka, Zambia
A reported 300 cars are imported into Zambia every day, and it appears most
of them are headed for Lusaka. Accidents in the city leave about
50,000 people permanently injured each year according to
Zambiawatchdog.com.
Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
A reported 1,010,732 cars were registered in Tanzania between 2003 and 2011,
and around 70 percent of them were in Dar es Salaam. It can
take a resident two hours to travel 10 or 15 kilometers during rush
hour, according to a video on
Bbc.com.
Wealthier residents have resorted to taking helicopters to get around.
Cairo, Egypt
Cairo has a tremendous pollution problem because of the number of cars
that idling on the roads every day. Cairo has a 320.44 index score in
Numbeo’s 2015 Traffic Index says
Businesstech.co.za. The index takes into account time spent
in traffic, “Due to job commute, estimation of time consumption
dissatisfaction, CO2 consumption…and overall inefficiencies in the traffic
system.”
Nairobi, Kenya
Nairobi has a population of over 3 million, but its roads see over
7 million commuters from outside villages. Nairobi gets an index score of
317.24, says
Businesstech.co.za.
Gaborone, Botswana
During rush-hour traffic in Gaborone, driving less than seven miles can take
two hours. Much of the problem can be blamed on urban sprawl which leads to
“high car dependence,” according to
Researchgate.net.
Kampala, Uganda
Uganda’s traffic problem got so bad that the city added low-cost buses, but
they’ve only made matters worse. Many people end up getting off their
motorcycles and walking to work because it’s faster than sitting in the
traffic, reports
Independent.co.ug.
Johannesburg, South Africa
Considering that over 80 percent of this city’s 3 million-plus people
commute to work in cars, the streets are pretty jammed. Residents of Joburg
spend an average of 40 minutes on their commute to work, says
Businesstech.co.za.
Khartoum, Sudan
Khartoum has recently seen an economic boom that has created more jobs, but
also more traffic. Buses are affected, too, with many residents complaining it
takes them hours to get home by public transit, according to
Sudanvisiondaily.com.
Cape Town, South Africa
Cape Town is the most congested city in South Africa. The city ranks 55th
globally for worst traffic says
Wheels24.co.za. Travel time increases by
29 percent during heavy traffic.
Pretoria, South Africa
Pretoria gets a ranking of 198.55 on the Numbeo 2015 Traffic Index. The
city’s commuters can see a 22 percent increase in commute time during traffic
according to
Wheels.co.za.
Lagos, Nigeria
Lagos, Nigeria has a population of 21 million people. If the city reaches 25
million, it will be the third largest city in the world according to
Worldpopulation.com.
Durban, South Africa
Durban receives ranks No. 98 for worst traffic globally based on reports
on
Businesstech.co.za. Commute times increase by 18
percent during traffic in the city says
Wheels24.co.za.
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