Urban road infrastructure policies in Africa : the importance of mainstreaming pedestrian infrastructure and traffic calming facilities

Abstract

The scale and orientation of urban infrastructure works that are implemented in Africa usually depend strongly on the financial position of the local and national government. The reality in most cities is that the available budget is too small compared to the total volume of works that ought to be carried out and, since that has been the case for the last three decades, a huge backlog of essential infrastructure demands has built up. Given the scarcity of funds it is very understandable that the works that have been carried out have focused largely on increasing the capacity of the main arterial road networks for motor vehicle traffic. However, looking at the composition of urban travel demand in African cities, at mobility levels, at affordability of travel costs, and at the actual road infrastructure and traffic quality that has in general been achieved, the question must be asked: understandable, yes but wise? The short answer to the question is: no.This paper discusses the importance of mainstreaming pedestrian infrastructure and traffic calming facilities as an immediate priority - precisely because of the enormous backlog in infrastructure supply and the low traffic performance quality that most currently adopted road infrastructure designs have led to. (A)

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