An evaluation of the performance of Namirembe Road- Luwuum street non-motorized transport pilot corridor.
Abstract
Transportation in Uganda is to some extent more complete with the incorporation of non-
motorized transport (NMT) facilities which ensure active and affordable transport, safety,
convenience and reduced air pollution. However, the deficiency in assessment of performance
of these facilities has resulted into lack of data and information on their usage and effectiveness
which would otherwise inform decisions about future planning for non-motorized transport
infrastructure. Consequently, this study assessed the performance Namirembe road- Luwuum
street non-motorized transport (NMT) corridor with regards to the safety of users, level of
usage, quality of the facility, user satisfaction, and speed of flow of traffic along the corridor.
The methodology involved key informant interviews, manual counts of pedestrians and
cyclists, field observations, attitudinal surveys, and visual inspections. Results showed that the
corridor has fair to good safety performance, with a need to address specific causes of
accidents, such as brake failure and hit-and-run incidents. In addition, the corridor has higher
usage by pedestrians than cyclists, hence, highlighting the need for further investment in non-
motorized infrastructure. Furthermore, the quality of the facility requires extensive
maintenance and repair work, as the pavement defects found hinder the safety and comfort of
pedestrians and cyclists. Moreover, user satisfaction levels were inconsistent, hence suggesting
a need to fix the problems highlighted in the findings. Also, the flow of traffic along the corridor
is slow, indicating a need to address obstacles such as parked vehicles, vendors, and garbage
deposits, to potentially increase the speed of flow of traffic. Conclusively, this study suggests
that continuous monitoring and improvement of the corridor are necessary to ensure the well-
being of NMT users and promote sustainable transportation.