One of the most notable scenes in the city of Nairobi is the large number of people walking. Many of these people walk from the informal settlements to the industrial area and middle income neighbourhoods. It is understood that approximately 47% of residents in Nairobi walk to work. With a troubled and chaotic paratransit system […]
Is Nairobi Central Business District DEAD?
The Nairobi Central Business District (CBD) has undergone a gradual transformation in the last few years that has seen it turn into a large bus yard and parking area for public transit vehicles (towards the east), a queuing zone for authorized buses (around the centre) and a large taxi park (towards the west). Retail stores […]
Kenya: Teaching Public Service Drivers First Aid and Safety
The majority of public service vehicle drivers in Kenya have very little knowledge on first aid. When faced with minor or major vehicle accidents while at work, many depend on well wishers to come to the aid of victims. Kenya has one of the worst road safety records in the world. There were over 3,057 […]
Nairobi, Kenya: No BRT due to Poor Planning?
Kenyas Cabinet Secretary (Minister) for Transport recently stated that a Bus Rapid Transit System (BRT) would not be possible in the City of Nairobi. In his statement, according to press reports, he mentioned that the city lacked space for a BRTdue to poor planning and added that to ease congestion, a commuter rail and expanded roads would […]
Nairobi: How can buses help decongest?
There has been lots of talk over the last few years about ‘decongesting’ the city of Nairobi. Unfortunately most of it has been done on paper with the few practical attempts towards ‘decongesting’ proving to be either short term or complete failures. Nearly all of these proposals have been dubbed as ‘Quick wins’ focusing on diverting […]
Aerial Cable Transit: Urban Gondolas for African Cities?
Recent decades have experienced a revolution in urban transportation with the ensuing development of “alternative” means of modern urban transport. Harvard professor Clayton Christensen calls these alternatives “disruptive technology,” which uses simple innovations that differ from the traditional modes of urban mass transit like regular bus services, light rail trains and Metro Rail. South American countries […]
Kenya: Two Railway Lines Running Parallel on Different Gauges
One of the most ambitious projects on the African continent was the construction of the (Kenya) Uganda Railway Line. A British imperial project, it was later dubbed the Lunatic Line. Passing through 5 different physical regions comprising a variety of vegetative and climatic zones the line stretches from the coastal lowlands to the vast plateau, followed […]
Mi Teleferico: Worlds Highest Cable Car Transports over 42,000 people daily
The earliest known use of cable transit for passenger transportation was in 250 B.C in South China. Though they have been used in European ski resorts for decades, it is only in the last few years that their use in urban centres has become widespread. Last year (2014), the Bolivian Government launched what is now […]
Cable Cars: Introducing the Likoni ‘Air-Line’ in Mombasa, Kenya
Transportation is the movement of people and goods from a point of origin to a destination. Several means can be employed; from the more popular cars and buses to bicycles, boats and even ferries. Over the last few decades Urban Centers have grown exponentially both in population size and surface area. Urban developers have realized […]
Moving Urban Dwellers through the Air to alleviate Traffic Congestion
Aerial Cable Transportation, or simply Cable Cars, are better known for their use at Alpine Ski resorts and in mountainous areas. However, their ability to transport thousands of people per hour has seen them emerge as an efficient, effective and reliable means of mass urban transport. The idea of using Cable Cars in the urban […]
