No right turn at roundabouts in new city roads decongestion plan

Bunyala and Nyayo Stadium roundabouts are no more. To drive towards Mombasa from, say Nyayo Stadium, or get to Bunyala Road from Upper Hill, a motorist will need to drive up to the Haile Selassie Avenue/Uhuru Highway roundabout to make a U-turn.

The Westlands roundabout has also been closed and motorists will only be allowed to make a left turn from Ring Road Westlands before making a U-turn at Consolata Shrine for motorists coming from Westlands intending to go to Kangemi.

For those coming from Raphta Road towards Westlands, they will only make a left turn and head towards Kangemi up to the area near Brookside Groove where they will be allowed to make a U-turn to drive towards Westlands.

There will be no entry to Riverside Drive while driving on Chiromo Road, instead, motorists will access Riverside Drive through the former Westlands round about.

Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero announced the plan to do away with five roundabouts in March.

He said they would be substituted by signalised intersections to improve flow by about 30 to 40 per cent.

The roundabouts were listed as University Way-Uhuru Highway, Kenyatta Avenue-Uhuru Highway, Haile Selassie Avenue-Uhuru Highway, Bunyala and Lusaka.

DRIVER BEWARE

Four intersections to avoid, and why:

Westlands roundabout: Outbound and inbound traffic is likely to flow better under new regulations as right turns from Rhapta and Ring roads are abolished, but the intersection might suffer the consequences of having to accommodate spillover traffic from nearby roads, especially traffic that usually uses Chiromo Road into Riverside Drive.

Currently, about 4,600 vehicles use this roundabout per hour during rush hours, 1,800 of them towards Kangemi, 1,500 into town, 575 to Rhapta Road and 557 to Westlands business district.

University Way-Uhuru Highway roundabout: About 6,047 vehicles per hour use the roundabout during evening rush hour. It might not experience more traffic as a result of the new regulations, but it is still expected to remain busy throughout the day courtesy of enhanced inflows from other roads.

Bunyala Road roundabout: More than 6,500 vehicles use this roundabout every hour during evening rush hours, and the confusion the new regulations might cause will not help matters. The roundabout will also be forced to accommodate more traffic from Lang’ata Road and Baricho Road wishing to join Mombasa Road.

Nyayo Stadium roundabout: About 5,300 vehicles per hour use the roundabout during evening rush hour currently, but that is likely to change as the effects of the spill-over traffic redirected from nearby roads (Lusaka, Baricho, Lang’ata and Uhuru Highway) begin to bite.

Kenyatta Avenue-Uhuru Highway roundabout: Faster traffic flow at Westlands, University Way and Haile Selassie roundabouts will negatively impact this intersection, which currently accommodates about 5,228 vehicles per hour during evening rush hours.

A full report can be read at nairobinews.co.ke