Kigali's car-free zone: success will depend on good planning

It was a move by City of Kigali authorities to make a few streets within the city’s Central Business District more pedestrian friendly, by keeping the cars away. Yet, the decision by City authorities to turn KN 4 Avenue into a pedestrian street has drawn mixed reactions from some business owners and Kigali residents alike. The reactions have come in threefold; to some people, the move is an innovative scheme because, aside from reducing the danger of fatal or injurious crashes between vehicles and pedestrians, vehicles and cyclists, vehicles and vehicles, a car-free zone in the heart of a business district has the potential to reduce congestion, reduce air pollution, free up space for business outlets, attract window shoppers and tourists, impact positively on local businesses, and improve access to green spaces around the city. In short, the car-free zone can create room for other activities in public places that would have otherwise been dominated by vehicles. However, the second group disagrees not with the idea, but with the manner in which the idea was implemented. To them, it seems that city authorities hastily implemented the car-free zone overnight without adequate planning, and for that matter, consultations with businesses that may find it challenging to restructure accordingly or struggle to attract customers altogether. In essence, they feel that City authorities should have first communicated their plans well ahead of time, then allowed businesses and residents to provide feedback and plan accordingly, and finally implement the policy with minimum disruption. The third group, quite simply does not think that there was ever any need for change – to them, KN 4 Avenue was just fine the way it was. By way of social media, thankfully only a handful of people subscribe to this belief. Nevertheless, let us look at the matter at hand. To begin with, the problem with most modern-day cities, Kigali included, is that the collective impact of a growing urbanised population of middle class residents with money to purchase vehicles, has the potential to affect the volume of vehicles on our roads, leading to traffic congestion, road accidents, air pollution and overcrowding. But, more often than not, we overlook these factors as necessary unpleasant experiences of living and working in a metropolitan area. Think of a journey by road to and from work in Kampala or Nairobi for that matter. In both East African cities, for instance, driving is an experience of near-exhaustion for thousands of residents who have to endure more than an hour or two sat in traffic or driving at a snail’s pace. And as things stand, our East African cousins seem to have resigned to this way of life largely because of poor planning, which leads me to this question; seeing that Kigali residents have a unique opportunity of a city with a blank canvas to mould as they please with the intention to improve overall quality of life, why should this chance be passed over? Admittedly, like some, I was slightly taken by surprise when City of Kigali announced that in a space of a week the implementation of a car-free zone along KN 4 Avenue would take effect. In retrospect, what I expected from City authorities before the implementation was to understand and acknowledge that much of the potential for car-free zones to achieve ongoing success depends on at least three strategic principles: first, car-free zones have to be readily and easily accessible by both residents and those who work in the designated areas. Ready and easy access can be made possible with an extremely well pre-planned public transport system, which facilitates alternative transportation interconnectivity such as the city’s pedestrian system, bicycle routes, among others. Secondly, car-free zones must be able to offer convenient parking facilities at key access points along the designated areas. This allows pedestrians to travel easily to their original point of arrival, particularly when the car-free zones are very long. Thirdly, car-free zones must be planned, designed and managed on an ongoing basis to reflect the changing nature of the city and its needs. To this effect, it is little wonder that some people have accused City authorities to be muddling through the process. Muddling through they may have, however, let us also envision some of the potential opportunities of their good intentions. For starters, car-free zones that have been introduced elsewhere in places such as Amsterdam, Berlin, London, and Singapore, they have freed up land –otherwise used by vehicles for other uses. For instance, there is potential for a variety of establishments that sell goods and services to the public. Here we can foresee retail shops, boutiques, restaurants, bars, coffee shops, grocery stores, bakeries, banks and shopping centres. This move can attract shoppers and tourists to come and shop, observe, stroll, eat, recreate, socialise, relax, have some fresh air, or simply have some fun. When planned properly, car-free zones can see the creation of city monuments like water fountains, museums, and sculptures to showcase local heroes, all of which may offer Rwandans and tourists alike the opportunity to take photos and share with the rest of the world. And with the growth of social media, this can be an opportunity to share Rwanda in a bid to attract more visitors to the country – and after all, Rwanda is vying to become East Africa’s hub for Meetings, Incentives, Conferences and Events (MICE). This year alone, RDB has projected revenue of $150 million from MICE-oriented activities, something that can also impact jobs in retail and hospitality. By and large, the fact is that, if more Rwandans choose walking over driving along busy streets, the socio-economic opportunities can be immense; business opportunities, saving on fuel, less accidents, more green space, tourist attractions, and much more. However, it is imperative to note that success of any public policy depends largely on adequate planning and flexibility to address arising problems. To that effect, I would recommend that City authorities address with urgency any potential problems emanating from this policy, keeping in mind that much as car-free zones have the potential to benefit our country in socio-economic terms, we must remain attentive and flexible to genuine concerns of our compatriots. junior.mutabazi@yahoo.co.uk

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Kigali's car-free zone: success will depend on good planning