By Gitonga Njeru
NAIROBI (AlertNet) Â? Faced with worsening traffic and rising levels of concern about climate change after a devastating drought, Kenya's government has launched an effort to promote the use of bicycles in urban areas.
The project, funded with the help of the Word Bank, aims to reduce carbon emissions while reducing the number of people using cars on Kenya's roads, especially those in congested Nairobi.
Nairobi residents have already been turning increasingly to bicycles, drawn by their low cost - $14 in some cases - and their ability to bypass Nairobi's notorious traffic jams.
But with 8 million registered cars on Kenya's roads - 5 million of those in the capital - taking action to stem the growth in automobile traffic is important, particularly as Kenya's economy continues to grow at a pace expected to hit 4.5 percent in 2010, according to the World Bank.
The project involves construction of bicycle lanes and pedestrian passages - both seen as key safety measures - in a bid to reduce congestion and global climate change.
ECONOMIC GROWTH DRIVING CAR INCREASES
"The government hopes that with increasing congestion in the streets of Nairobi, people may reduce using their cars and use bicycles more often. With economic growth, there is an increase in Kenya's middle class and it means that they can afford cars," said John Michuki, Kenya's environment minister.
The project is expected to be completed by the end of 2012, and will be part of a broader effort to expand the current road network and build new roads.
Critics have raised concern over the project, warning that Kenya's well-documented corruption problems could limit the program's success. Kenya is ranked as one of the 20 most corrupt countries in the world on Transparency International's perceptions of corruption index.
Corruption scandals have cost the Kenyan economy close to $500 million in just the last six months, newspapers have reported.
"I hope for the best in this project but I only hope that corruption which has been so rampant in both government and the private sector does not take centre stage on matters in relation to development," said Phillip Makau, an economic consultant.
For Joe Kauna, who is already using a few of the early dedicated lanes created for pedestrians and cyclists, getting to work is now much easier. He owns a car but due to the heavy Nairobi traffic, cycling is much faster than using his car.
Commuting to his office in downtown Nairobi from his home in Kwangware takes about 40 minutes in morning traffic by car, he said. But the same trip by bicycle is a comfortable 20 minutes.
Still, bicycling is not obviously the best way to get around in Nairobi.
BICYLISTS STILL FACE DANGERS
"One of my friends who also uses a bicycle every day to work was run over by a drunken motorist here in Nairobi a few days before Christmas last year. Now I hope that such incidences will reduce drastically" with the new bicycle paths, Kauna said.
Rushing drivers, fed up by congested traffic, are a constant hazard, bicyclists said.
With an ever-growing number of cars in Nairobi, motorists sometimes flaunt traffic rules and drive onto newly established bicycle paths, said Kamau Mathenge, who commutes regularly by bicycle around downtown Nairobi.
"I sometimes have to ride my bike carefully as I am not sure who is using the road. Speeding motorists who want to rush to work can easily run you over and keep on driving," said the self-employed father of five.
"There is greater need for traffic enforcement by the police who are still sleeping on the job despite the government recently hiking their salaries. But with the construction of new road networks, congestion will ease with time," he said.
Commuting by bicycle from his home to downtown Nairobi, he said, takes only about five minutes, while the same journey can take an hour in Nairobi's heavy morning traffic and cost a fortune in fuel.
His wife also owns a bicycle, which she uses to drop their 5-year-old daughter to and from school every weekday.
Kenya, according to government statistics has more than 95,000 miles of road network in a country covering more than 224,000 square miles.
In addition to the bicycle project, the Kenyan government, with funding from China, has begun construction of a country wide road network expansion aimed at easing road congestion.
The construction involves rehabilitation and expansion of the existing road network by more than 4,000 miles, at a cost of about $111 million.
The Chinese government is providing 85 percent of the financing through a loan arrangement and Kenyan government providing the balance.
Engineers commissioned to do the work say the new road networks will be friendly to both motorists and people riding bicycles.
To further encourage the use of bicycles, the government also hopes to cut the value-added tax on them to make them even more affordable.
The government aims to extend the bicycle and pedestrian program to other parts of the country by the end of 2011 with additional funds from the Kenyan finance ministry.
Gitonga Njeru is a science journalist based in Nairobi.
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