Assessment of the status and functionality of non-motorized transport infrastructure in Kampala city. A case study of Nairembe road and Luwum street.

Abstract

Majority of the urban dwellers in Kampala city rely on non-motorized transport to access the city Centre. Recently there have been many efforts in promoting the use of NMT in Kampala and one of those was the redesign and the implementation of the NMT corridor along Namirembe road and Luwum Street. Although the transformation of those routes was successful, the enforcement has been poor in regard to how the NMT infrastructure is used. The NMT infrastructure along Namirembe road and Luwum Street have been vandalized and misused in many ways which hinder the appropriate functionality of that particular infrastructure. Therefore, this study ought to examine the state of NMT infrastructure, ways how the infrastructures are used, barriers to the proper functionality infrastructure and measures to improve the functionality of the NMT infrastructures. The area study was Namirembe road and Luwum Street. Data was collected through observation and in-depth interview. Observation involved seeing and noting down the available NMT infrastructure and their state and the ways how they are being used. This was supplemented with photography which proved evidence. The sample size was 40 people who were broken down into 4 key informants, 34 non-motorized transport users and 2 boda boda riders. The data obtained was analyzed through narrative, content and simple descriptive statistics means. The study revealed there is a variety of NMT infrastructure although some are totally inadequate and missing such as trash bins and shelters. Ultimately, the state of the available infrastructure is relatively good prompting many road users to use them in any way to satisfy their needs and desires which hinders the actual functionality of those infrastructures. The study also reveals the how much the barriers exist, the NMT users still benefit from using the NMT infrastructure. A comprehensive non-motorized transport infrastructure master plan should be drawn or formulated to identify various gaps between NMT infrastructure and motorized transport infrastructure. Also participatory planning is recommended so as to ease the procedures during the stage of implementation. Educating the masses from grass roots about the proper usage/functionality of the non-motorized transport infrastructure and their benefits is recommended.