On a recent sojourn to Kampala, I sauntered around the national referral hospital, Mulago, to meet a former college mate. We were to leave together to meet another former friend but we were held back: A consultant surgeon this doctor friend had to see was stuck in traffic and had asked for time.

It was nearly 30 minutes later that the doctor arrived. He had been just around the city centre, a five-minute drive to the hospital.

Supposing he was summoned for an emergency surgery, what would have happened? I asked the younger doctor. He merely hunched his shoulders.

My thoughts raced back to the nightmare that is called a traffic jam. I am not that well-travelled but I know that, the world over, traffic jams are the bane of motorists.

During the commute to work, traffic jams are not only frustrating; they are also a major contributor to air pollution — affecting the environment (climate) as much as they do human health.

For instance, in a 2014 BBC Finding feature, the British public broadcaster published findings from researchers at Harvard Centre for Risk Analysis that said congestion in the 83 largest urban areas in the US caused more than 2,200 premature deaths in 2010 and added $18 billion to public health costs.

But, to economies, the menace of traffic jams can hurt development as much as corruption as hours of work and timely shipments are lost in delays. Like the consultant surgeon who held us back at Mulago Hospital, now imagine a senior technocrat is held up in traffic at a time his input is needed in, say, fixing a power outage; how many hours would be lost?

What about the economic cost due to the time lost in traffic jams?

There are only assumptions. And many in Kigali will point to the fact that the problem of traffic jams that bedevil major cities in the US, UK, South Africa, Nigeria, Senegal or even Uganda and Kenya across the borders are not felt here — except during rush hour in the morning and evening.

This is also true, but not a scenario that dropped out of the blue. It has taken the government and city planners a lot of pain to ensure the current semblance of sanity on Kigali City’s roads. And the country is reaping the benefits in form of rapid transformation and development.

Kigali, just recognised by the United Nations as the cleanest city in Africa, is also one of the fastest growing on the continent. That the streets are the envy of every visitor is more because flexible traffic sustains their durability and ensures little wear and tear of the bitumen — much so when the workmanship in the construction was stellar.

Much of these gains are, in part, due to the efforts to limit the number of cars on the roads. While there are many causes of traffic jams, common ones include
having many people drive their own car instead of sharing rides or using motorcycles, or that most of us simply are not efficient drivers.

For the former, through high taxes on imported vehicles the government has successfully ensured that cars are cars. In some cities, cars are affectionately referred to as “toys.” This means a family on a medium income can own up to three cars. Each of these would be on the road in the morning; the hubby takes Street A to Junction X, the wife takes Street B and branches off at Junction Y, and the eldest son taking Street C and parking around Junction Z. Cars are just that affordable.

That is why the high cost of buying a vehicle is a boon to road users as every commuter bus carrying 32 passengers would have 20 passengers less if taxes on vehicles were relaxed. That would mean 20 more cars on the road and subsequent congestion, air pollution and time wastage.

So what next to sustain the durability of city roads, maintain flexible traffic and thus continued development?

The answer can only lie in using the experience in Kampala and Nairobi as a lesson so that fewer people can own cars. The government should just invest the same effort it has put in fighting genocide ideology in limiting traffic jams in Kigali.

This is because many methods have been tried and tested without results. Not even in this era of technology. For instance, during the car boom of the 1960s, city planners had one seemingly obvious solution: Muild more and wider roads. But it didn’t work. The more roads created, the more cars they attracted.

Maurice Muhigirwa comments on topical issues.Email: [email protected] ; Twitter: @DonMuhigirwa