Rehabilitation of footbridges is key to tackling road carnage

Kenyans continue to needlessly lose limb and life to road accidents. A key contributor to such accidents, especially in urban spaces like Nairobi, is the apparent aversion by most people to the use of alternative means of crossing roads, namely footbridges.

Statistics tell a grim tale and offer some very interesting insights that must guide our interventions in tackling this national malaise.

Our country loses an average of 3,000 lives to road accidents annually. As at July 14, a total of 1,484 lives had been snuffed out by crashes on our killer roads, compared to 1,725 during a similar period last year. Of the lives lost so far this year, there were 692 pedestrians, 198 motorcyclists, 58 pedal cyclists and 82 passengers.

It therefore follows that pedestrians and users of intermediate modes of transport contributed some 1,030 lives to this ignominious list, which constitutes, significantly, over 60 per cent of the total number of crash victims.

This number could significantly come down if people started using footbridges, or flyovers as they are popularly known, as a habit and a matter of course. It is quite disheartening that Kenyans will only use the footbridges when coerced by a policeman.

Nairobi, for instance, has 33 foot bridges, which are more famed for their dereliction and non-use. It is not uncommon to see a Nairobian dashing across the road, despite an unused footbridge standing overheard.

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Most Nairobians would rather be caught dead (and many actually are increasingly being found in this state!) than be seen using the footbridges.

The phenomenon of pedestrians crossing roads at non-designated points and causing fatal crashes has become so commonplace in Nairobi that it might as well be part of the city’s wallpaper. Since January 1, over 100 pedestrians have died in Nairobi alone due to road traffic crashes.

REHABILITATION

This need not be the case. The National Transport and Safety Authority has embarked on a programme to reverse this unfortunate trend.

As a first step, the NTSA has initiated a project, whose end-game is the rehabilitation of all footbridges and pedestrian tunnels in Nairobi. The project, which is already active in Nairobi, involves cleaning and providing lighting in order to make the facilities convenient and safe.

Already, NTSA has cleaned the footbridges at the Nyayo Stadium, Madaraka, Wilson Airport and Kenyatta Market.

Most pedestrians who avoid foot bridges often cite lack of cleanliness and insecurity as their major reason for dicing with death, sometimes with disastrous consequences.

Like all good infrastructure, the footbridges only make sense if they are used by those they are meant to serve.

A good footbridge is just that: an object of engineering and will serve as no more than an ornament till it is able to gather a critical mass of users. Hence our appeal, as NTSA, is to pedestrians to ensure that they use the footbridges and tunnels once rehabilitated.

The National Transport and Safety Authority is working closely with the Traffic Police to ensure pedestrians who cross roads instead of using footbridges and tunnels are arrested and prosecuted.

But eventually, it is up to us, pedestrians, to decide. It is not lost on us that the switch from crossing the road at any point to crossing only at footbridges will require a massive mind shift among citizens, something we are already engaged in.

Reducing road accidents is a duty for all of us.

The author is the Director-General of National Transport and Safety Authority.