Marlies Pilon
16 December 2011
Kampala — During the first Car Free Day in Uganda, over 350 people cycled through Kampala’s city centre to raise awareness about sustainable modes of urban transport. The event drew attention to growing concerns over the capital’s traffic congestion and air pollution.
Rush hour chaos has become a troubled reality of life in Kampala. Zigzagging matatu’s, crisscrossing boda-boda’s, cars, bikes, pedestrians and livestock fight to be mobile on the cramped and potholed roads of the capital. Foggy residues from old motorised vehicles create an eerie, purplish sky. But this morning is different.
About 350 people drive their decorated bicycles freely through the centre of Kampala on the first Car Free Day in East-Africa. Motorised traffic is blocked on the designated cycling route that meanders straight through the capital with help from local authorities and the police.
Claiming the road
Organiser and Urban Planning tutor at the Makarere University Amanda Ngabirano heads the cycling group. With a determined face he comments: “This is historical. We have claimed the roads!” The atmosphere among the cyclists – mostly young people dressed in professional cycling gear- is exuberant. Bystanders look on in disbelief.
“We want sustainable modes of transport”, a sweaty Amanda Ngabirano tells RNW. “This Car Free Day is meant to sensitise people to the positive effects of cycling for the environment and the city. In the Ugandan context, limited financial resources can present challenges during the implementation phase. But everyone can ride a bicycle, right?”
Population growth
Like most cities in Sub-Saharan Africa, Kampala is growing out of proportion. The rapid population growth caused by the influx of people into the city is stretching local authorities to the limit. Most roads were built in the 1930’s, and are unable to accommodate the estimated 1 million motorised vehicles that flock daily into the capital. An additional 90 new cars are registered in Kampala each day.
There are many reasons why Kampalans have not yet swapped their cars for bikes. Kampala’s traffic is anarchic and cyclists are under constant threat of being knocked over. Also, the city’s roads are littered with an estimated 2,500 potholes, the reason some citydwellers have coined the phrase ‘Kampothole’.
Bicycles
Another nickname for the capital is ‘city of seven hills’. One can imagine that the hilly terrain makes for a challenging cycling experience. Then there is the story of a girl who saw a cyclist ‘disappear’ as he fell head first into an open sewage hole in the road and literally ended up underground – bike and all. The bicycle suffers from a serious image-problem.
“We need to change the way people think about bicycles”, the major of Kampala, Erias Lukwago, told RNW. “We can change that through awareness campaigns like this Car Free Day. The real problem will be the infrastructure, since the small roads in Kampala may not accommodate the bicycles. But we want to help in creating a better environment for cyclists.” Amanda Ngabirano’s idea of creating green biking belts in the city was met with approval from the KCCA, and a pilot project is scheduled for next year.
“Leapfrog development”
Despite the many challenges, Amanda Ngabirano does not let her head down. “We can leapfrog development in urban planning by learning from the West. If you look at telephones, Africa skipped the steady lines and immediately went to wireless cell phones. We can do the same with sustainable transport. Right now in Uganda, only 2% of Ugandans own a car. If we are really smart, we can take our development to the next level and create more incentives for people to start using bikes.”
AllAfrica – All the Time