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Kidero’s taskforce wants matatus to be locked out of CBD


All matatus and buses will not be allowed into the Central Business District if proposals by a committee appointed by Governor Dr Evans Kidero is implemented.

The governor has been under pressure from stakeholders in the transport sector to implement the report handed over to him by the Transport and Urban Decongestion Committee in October last year.

The committee chaired by Prof Marion Mutugi was appointed to make suggestions on how traffic in Nairobi can be decongested.

The team proposes that matatus and other public services vehicles should drop their passengers at designated periphery areas.

Then high capacity buses would pick the passengers and drop them in the CBD to ease congestion.

“These buses will not be stopping. Their work will be to pick passengers and drop them in different parts of the CBD,” Prof Mutugi proposed.

HEAVY PENALTIES

She added that the report is comprehensive and has the solutions needed to ease traffic congestion.

Heavy levies would be introduced on taxis operating within the CBD to discourage those from outside from coming to town.

Private vehicles would also pay heavily premiums to enter the town centre.

“It is the private vehicles that cause congestion, not the public ones,” Prof Mutugi explained pointing out that they concluded that after examining different metropolis in the world.

The government had tried a similar strategy where matatus were barred from accessing the CBD but it did not work due to poor enforcement.

AUTOMATE TRAFFIC LIGHTS

Another recommendation that the committee made is to automate the traffic lights and remove all the traffic police officers and City County traffic marshals manning roundabouts.

However, Transport Executive Mohammed Abdullahi said some aspects of the report need to be changed before it is implemented.

“We had asked members of the committee to make some certain changes so I cannot say that the report has officially been handed over,” Mr Abdullahi added.

They are also yet to fully pay the committee members all their allowances.