{UAH} Widen the discussion table - the old taxi park*

Widen the discussion table - the old taxi park*
By Rahim Lubadde

Debates to remove and or reduce the number of taxis and boda bodas from the city center, create more cities, municipalities and town councils within the country have formulated one of the fundamental discussion topics in relation to physical planning and urban development in the Ugandan Legislative Assembly/Parliament for the recent weeks in addition to the 10billion Saga and the torture of Hon. Zaake Francis. Nonetheless, there are more barren brains in Uganda than the efforts to unveil them. Their momentum has gone though they creak and thoughts still tumble as years pass. They are being boiled by the subsidizing heat from the unhuman self-proclaimed and creamy thinking fellows. Everyday querying themselves whether God forgot about Uganda but all debates have continuously led to the same conclusive cowardice. History will judge me from a selfless point of view- I have and continue doing my work of sensitizing through my literature.

Much as our city and transport planners plot to revitalize the chocked nature of our urban transport; through strategizing Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Mass Rapid Transit (MRT), fly overs, the urban green transport of cycling and walking., there are key aspects that need to be considered. They prove to be coming out from the social aspects of humanity and the natural rights that everyone living and working in the city owns. Not to bur from the topic, let me begin by cautioning whoever is responsible for Kampala City Transport Planning that "stakeholder consultations" are part and parcel of the initial stages of planning to seek acceptability from the natives and the politicians otherwise our plans will always remain resisted and on paper. So, lets always embrace and respect people's opinions. "… where political credibility is limited, overall social welfare falls and the benefits of public policy flow narrowly to the small group of citizens to whom rulers can make credible commitments' (Keefer 2007: 2-4)

As a piece of reminder, we need to always begin with "what comes first" for instance we begin by establishment of the national transportation plans to regional to district to municipals to communities as the last stage. There is no any way we can begin from bottom to up in that regard because the former enlightens the later. For purposes of this article, there is a need for a #metropolitan_transportation_committee to emphasis on issues that affect the metropolis as a whole rather than a single segment of Kampala CBD. While working on transport; we seek knowledge on three aspects of commuter zones, routes and destinations. Let's not forget that people flowing into the city streets do not actually stay in within. Therefore, what makes us think that removing taxis will solve the traffic jam challenges in the city. I cant rule out the fact that *now* is the best time to regulate on who come back into the city but 'may be' we are not ready for the cause.

As an Authority, KCCA needs to understand the cost of urban redevelopment and regeneration through taking gradual procedures. For instance; establish city exit terminals at the outskirts of the city to ensure that when the 'introduced buses" set off from the CBD, there is a station where they leave the passengers and then they proceed out by taxi. These sub-terminals at the outskirts shall in the first place restore the "the falling out hearts" of urban taxi drivers, reduce the number of taxis through design with minimal resistance and provide an equivalence in job creation: i.e. if there is a transport terminal in places like Zana, Kawempe, Bulenga, etc. where people can easily change the mode, all taxi drivers would be directed to these places and there will be no or minimal resistance. Many times, it's not about compliance or divergence for urban policies to work but also the component of equality must prevail for the betterment of everyone. The problem of the city transport system should be looked at a wider scale rather than the removal of the old taxi park.

The more roads and services that are implanted within the city are responsible for the increasing level of travel destinations and hence more travel demand. Therefore, fear lies intrinsically within me that the billions of public funds coupled with the international loans from China that are being used to construct fly overs, multi/national offices and large commercial buildings will attract more people into the city and hence more traffic problems and yet the closure of the taxi business will stimulate hiking unemployment levels, vandalism, and fragility. At the end, KCCA shall have failed to deliver with policy incoherence and inadequate performance. Nonetheless, as the city ruling Authority, KCCA must develop and coordinate broader integration frameworks that are underpinned to urban planning, city-wide planning, and ensure the inclusion of marginalized groups and key stakeholders to encounter its transport trials.

As a consequence, given an opportunity through my pen, let me pose a query to the Director of Physical Planning and the Head of the Engineering section of KCCA before a decision is undertaken that "How did the following terminals end up in the middle of the city and yet they transport people miles away from Kampala; i.e. Kisenyi Bus terminal and Link bus terminal(responsible for Chaos in Kisenyi), Arua park(responsible for Chaos along Bombo road ), Namayuba bus terminal(responsible for Chaos along sir Apollo Kaggwa road, Martin road and Gadaffi road ), Mash Poa terminal(responsible for Chaos in Kibuli), Old Kampala terminal (responsible for traffic along Namirembe road, sir Apollo Kaggwa etc.) Why would a passenger going to Fortportal or Kasese by bus pass through the city center to access a Link Bus? This should also be worked on through relocating the bus terminals to further away from the CBD. Remember, am not here to rebel and or cause havoc to the works undertaken by KCCA during the crisis but to add directly to the ministerial works of the National Departments responsible for transport, housing, urban growth and development and also to sensitize the public about the value in urban planning and policies.

Finally, credit must be given to the road naming projects that ease orientation within the city, urban smart walkways along Namirembe road and Luwumu street, the CCTV camera security program, street lighting, urban green, the introduction of internet applications like safe boda, uber, Bolt, street maps, etc., the great city flyover under construction around clock tower and many other government projects that have been set to reduce traffic jam in the city center though all parties must understand that more than 80% of the people living and working in the city do not drive.

The writer is a physical planner 

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"When a man is stung by a bee, he doesn't set off to destroy all beehives"

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