Analysis of non-motorised travel conditions on the Jogoo Road corridor in Nairobi

Abstract

This paper details the prevailing conditions under which pedestrians and bicyclists operate with regard to safety, security, comfort, and convenience with a view to evaluating NMT corridor experience in a holistic manner. In trying to establish NMT Level of Service on the Jogoo Road corridor, the study employed manual count techniques, and attitudinal surveys at pre-selected sites along Jogoo Road so as to capture typical NMT operating environment especially at peak hours. The roadway capacity is today extremely constrained and matatus (paratransit) invade sidewalks with impunity, thus compromising the safety of pedestrians and cyclists. Over-speeding motorists during off peak hours have also made the roadway difficult to cross by pedestrians. The use of sidewalks by motorized traffic when the roadway is congested has further exposed pedestrians and cyclists to accidents. NMT operating conditions on Jogoo Road corridor, as reported in this paper, are not very conducive in terms of safety, convenience and security of road users. Many of the problems documented herein could be attributed to inadequate design and supply of the necessary infrastructure. The tested alternative methods of evaluating the performance of NMT infrastructure have proven plausible and give indicative performance consistent with attitudinal survey results on some aspects. They are, therefore, appropriate least-cost methods for transport planning practice in low-income cities.