Nairobi is notorious when it comes to traffic jams in rush hours. This is occasioned by the mass movement of people in the morning when going to work and in the evenings when going back home.
Interestingly,
Nairobi is ranked the fifth worst city to drive in globally by user data
aggregator website Numbeo.
In
2017 when Numbeo released the results, the estimates were that it took 62
minutes on average to commute from residential areas to the city centre then.
Worst city in Africa
The
green city in the sun topped the list on the continent making it the worst city
to drive in in Africa.
On
the brighter side, the same ranking showed that Nairobi’s traffic produced less
CO2 emissions in comparison to most countries in the world. This is due to the
tree cover and the number of vehicles on the roads.
Nairobi
beat Cairo, Pretoria, Johannesburg and Cape Town to top the ranking in Africa while
it only came fifth after the Indian cities of Kolkata, Dhaka, Mumbai and the UAE’s
Sharjah.
According
to the government, traffic jams were costing Nairobi an upwards of Sh2 billion
per year in lost productivity.
While
this may have improved over time with the ongoing expansions and the
construction of bypasses, there are still some roads which remain infamous due
to the persistent congestion.
While
the matatu culture is largely to blame, confusion by road traffic marshals and
police has made things worse since drivers are confused on whether to obey the
lights or the humans.
Roads with the worst
traffic jams in Nairobi
The
road network in Nairobi remains a mystery in that despite the expansions,
traffic jams are always a menace. If it rains, for instance, Nairobi becomes
one hell for drivers.
It
is like the roads are washed away leaving very few narrow paths which the
thousands of vehicles have to squeeze into to get in and out of the city.
This
situation could be due to the residential premises and offices being concentrated
in the CBD but then again, courtesy is rare on these roads.
The
worst roads to drive on in Nairobi include:
The
big number of people using this road from Ngong, Karen and Dagoretti mean that
the road is not ‘enough’ to cater to the demand during rush hours.
It
is one of the busiest roads in Nairobi today and with the ongoing construction
works, the situation has moved from bad to worse.
While the inconvenience caused by the construction is temporary, the hope is
that once completed, the road will become easier and smoother for users.
This
has remained an eyesore and undoubtedly one of the busiest roads in the city.
The road serves the high population Nairobi’s Eastland area. Places like the once bourgeois BuruBuru and Donholm estates, Umoja, Innercore, Embakasi, Jericho, Makadara and Kayole are the contributors of the crazy traffic on this road.
However,
the latest expansions could be a saviour only if the rogue matatus plying the
route could learn to be courteous on the roads.
LA is one of the places where new (young) money lives. This means that there are many more cars per capita. With this, Langata Road is another headache for drivers during peak hours.
This
road serves Langata area, Ongata Rongai, Karen and Kibera.
Traffic
on this road is at its worst in the morning and in the evenings.
When Thika Road became a ‘super highway’, it was a relief for the hundreds of thousands who used it since it brought reprieve after years of endless traffic jams.
The
insanity seems to have crept back though during peak hours in the morning as
commuters rush into the CBD.
Since there is massive traffic on the road, the buildup into the city centre
can stretch as far back as the NYS area on bad days.
The
Globe Roundabout interchange has not offered a lasting solution since traffic
builds up from this point.
While
it is easier getting out of the CBD, it is crazy getting in during rush hour.
As
a driver, the best way to avoid the headache is to evade driving onto the CBD
during rush hours.
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