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BRT in Dar es Salaam

Rendering of proposed BRT in Dar es Salaam, showing its close resemblance to Bogotá's Transmilenio (by Luc Nadal for ITDP, licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.5 License)

Introduction

Bus rapid transit (BRT) has been promoted by various international consultants and experts as a viable transportation solution for Dar es Salaam’s worsening traffic congestion.  As a transport model, it offers the potential to improve mobility without excessive investment or operating subsidies that would be inappropriate given Tanzania’s poverty.  Yet despite readily available international funding and technical expertise for BRT, the existing fragmentation of bureaucratic and transit operating structures has delayed the implementation of BRT in Dar es Salaam.  A brief overview of DART’s Phase I is below, followed by a more extensive discussion of the project’s background and potential pitfalls.

Phase I Overview

• 2002 – The Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP) drafts a bus rapid transit proposal with the Dar es Salaam City Council, predicting it will be Africa’s first bus rapid transit system
• 2003 – The City Council endorses the BRT proposal
• 2005 – BRT conceptual design completed
• 2006 – Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit Agency (DART) formed under the Prime Minister’s Office
• 2007 – Environmental impact planning completed
• 2008 – The World Bank approves a $190 million International Development Association credit, partly towards the BRT project; The Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) completes the Urban Transport Policy and System Development Master Plan for the City of Dar es Salaam
• 2010 – President Jakaya Kikwete officially inaugurates construction on Phase I
  • 21 kilometeters of dedicated lanes, closed system
  • 29 stations, 5 terminals
  • Cost of $125 million (including $20 million for expropriations)
  • Cash and contactless card fare collection, baseline fare of 400 Tsh and transfer fare of 100 Tsh

• 2012 – Projected opening

Phase 1 Trunk Routes (from DART Investors Document), compare this to the red Morogoro Rd. lines on the diagram I made

Current Need for Transit Improvements – Congestion “Without Mercy”

From the Center for Economic Prosperity

Traffic congestion in Dar es Salaam is horrendous, the worst I’ve observed in my travels.  I spent stretches of fifteen minutes at a time sitting in stationary daladalas on Morogoro Road (see my transit map of Dar es Salaam here).  Mwinyi/Bagamoyo Road, another artery, can be even worse, since it is only one lane on either side of a poorly enforced “reversible lane” (which leads to regular games of low-velocity chicken).  Average rush hour speeds on Mwinyi Road are about 7 mph, leading trips to take three times longer during rush hour than during normal flow.  As the Center for Economic Prosperity reports, “It is undisputed that congestion is slowing down economic activities in the city without mercy.”

The costs of the city’s worsening congestion extend beyond commuters’ wasted time.  Noise and air pollution from excessive congestion adversely affect public health.  Particulate matter from old diesel engines is of particular concern, especially given a recent study’s findings that “asthma is an important clinical condition in sub-Saharan Africa [and there are] major gaps in clinical care, particularly in urban areas.”

Concentrations of particulate matter are much higher near the Tazara Intersection than at other sites nearby.

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Read Full Post | April 26 2011 | School Bus Migrations and Transport | 4 Comments » |

Dar es Salaam Transit Diagram

Schematic map of daladala routes in Dar es Salaam (click to enlarge)

There are approximately 250 different daladala routes crossing Dar es Salaam, and depicting all of them on a schematic map is a challenge.  Routes and vehicles are color coded according to the major arterial streets over which they travel.  There are only seven such streets, and I used the corresponding seven colors in the diagram.  Different combinations of these arterials, as well as different origins and destinations along them, account for the hundreds of different routes. A high quality pdf version is available here.… Read the rest

Read Full Post | April 21 2011 | School Bus Migrations and Transport | No Comments » |

“The Neglected Epidemic”

At the beginning of April, the US Department of Transportation estimated that traffic fatalities in the United States declined to the lowest rate (per vehicle miles traveled) since 1949. While it’s somewhat disturbing that the loss of 32,788 lives can be reported as good news, cars are indeed getting safer in the developed world. A number of factors, including increases in the prevalence of air bags, drunk driving enforcement, and seat belt usage, help explain this downward trend.

Unfortunately, traffic fatalities are skyrocketing in lower income countries (see this figure). An article from the Harvard Center for Population and Development Studies lists four factors contributing to such high injury and fatality rates in lower income countries:

• The growing number of cars – In Tanzania, car buyers can order used vehicles from Japan online from sites like Autorec; the purchased vehicle will arrive at the Dar es Salaam Harbor a few months later. Strict emissions and safety standards in Japan create disincentives to driving older vehicles, so there is an abundant supply of affordable used vehicles that can be shipped around the world.
• The high number of passengers per vehicle, especially in buses and minibuses
• Poor enforcement of safety regulations – Widespread corruption means that it is cheaper for drivers and owners to pay a bribe for traffic or maintenance violations than to obey the law.
• Inadequate health care systems.

The authors of this article go on to explain how socioeconomic status influences the breakdown of traffic injuries:

The choice of mode of transport in developing countries is often influenced by socioeconomic factors, especially income. In Kenya, for example, 27% of commuters who have no formal education were found to travel on foot, 55% usually used buses or minibuses, and 9% used private cars. By contrast, 81% of people with secondary level education or above usually travelled in private cars; 19% travelled by bus, and none walked. People with little formal education earn low incomes. For them, the affordable means of transport are walking, travelling by bus or truck, or cycling—all of which expose them to high risks for road traffic injuries.
People in developing countries are frequently aware of these risks. A regular commuter on the buses in Lagos, Nigeria—which are referred to locally as danfos, “flying coffins,” or molue, “moving morgues”—said, “Many of us know most of the buses are death traps but since we can’t afford the expensive taxi fares, we have no choice but to use the buses.”…
The injury profile for road traffic crashes in developing countries differs in important ways from the profile seen in developed countries, and it can provide guidance for making policies to improve prevention and control. Protection is needed for three main vulnerable groups—pedestrians, who in urban areas constitute up to 70% of the fatalities; passengers com­muting on buses, trucks and minibuses, who constitute the next largest population group affected; and cyclists.

Traffic fatalities are a leading cause of death in South Africa, as Mobility Magazine reports:

In the 2007/2008 research year, between 14-18 000 people were killed on the roads in South Africa (18 487 were murdered in that same time period).

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Read Full Post | April 19 2011 | School Bus Migrations and Transport | 1 Comment » |

Kilimanjaro

Elaine, Pat, and I climbed Kilimanjaro, reaching the summit on 1/11/11. We climbed the Rongai Route, so our ascent was from the north of the mountain and our descent was to the south. The diversity of landscapes and habitats on different parts of the mountain was impressive.

I created a map of the route and added some of our photos to it. If you have Google Earth installed, download this file. Otherwise, you can view the map in your browser here. Click on each of the icons to see pictures of our climb.… Read the rest

Read Full Post | April 19 2011 | School Bus Migrations | 2 Comments » |

Sights of Northern Tanzania

Pat and Elaine decided to visit me in Northern Tanzania, where our main destinations were Ngorongoro Crater and Kilimanjaro. We were also able to visit the towns of Arusha, Moshi, and Mto-wa-Mbu (Mosquito Village). Mto-wa-Mbu was especially enjoyable. We had the opportunity to learn about the wood carving of Mozambican immigrants and try the traditional banana beer of the Chagga people (it tasted kind of like beef jerky to me).

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Read Full Post | April 08 2011 | School Bus Migrations | No Comments » |

Lions of Ngorongoro Crater (Graphic Pictures)

The best part of our time in Ngorongoro Crater was getting up close and personal with two brother lions. They had killed a wildebeest right next to the road, providing a rare opportunity to view their feeding. Our excellent guide, Justin, who has helped coordinate National Geographic shoots in the Serengeti, was so impressed that even he took some pictures with his phone. Though we didn’t see the kill happen, it was fascinating to watch the resulting drama unfold throughout the day.

The power of the lions tearing apart the wildebeest carcass was awe-inspiring. They were lucky enough to get two meals in one, since the wildebeest was pregnant. As the lions fell into food-induced naps, the circling hyenas would slowly close in. Sometimes the lions would stir, leading the hyenas to initiate a charade of walking by with no interest in the carcass. On two instances, the hyenas were able to get up to the carcass and start feeding, only to be chased off again by one of the brother lions. We were hoping to stay long enough to watch the circling vultures land, but the lions were too reluctant to leave their prey.

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Read Full Post | April 02 2011 | School Bus Migrations | 1 Comment » |

Ngorongoro Crater

Ngorongoro Crater

We spent two nights at the Simba campsite in the Ngorongoro Conservation Area, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The number, variety, and accessibility of animals inside the crater was astounding. Within twenty four hours, we saw baboons, ostriches, hyenas, warthogs, jackals, zebras, wildebeest, elephants, a black rhino, flamingos, hippos, a leopard, and two amazing lions. The looming crater walls were an amazing backdrop, especially with rainclouds and a rainbow. When we returned to the campsite, a couple of elephants joined us and started drinking from the water cistern.

Special thanks go to Krisha African Safaris for arranging the amazing trip to the Crater, our Kilimanjaro climb, and our tour of Mto-wa-Mbu.  It seems that many other tour operators do either safaris or climbs, and it would have been inconvenient for us to have to deal with separate companies.  Krisha Safaris took care of it all, using their professional contacts across the industry to design a customized trip for us.  We appreciated the personalized service (airport pickups at the different airports we arrived at, briefings, and debriefings, all by the CEO) and look forward to trying one of their Serengeti hot air balloon safaris on our next visit.

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Read Full Post | April 02 2011 | School Bus Migrations | 1 Comment » |

Daladalas of Dar es Salaam

Dar es Salaam’s three million residents rely heavily on daladalas (16-36 passenger minibuses) for transportation. Forty-three percent of trips are made by public transit, and of these, ninety-eight percent are by minibus. The second-highest transport mode is walking, which accounts for forty-two percent of trips.

Since the government deregulated urban transportation in 1983, thousands of used vehicles from Japan (mostly Toyota Hiaces, Toyota Coasters, and Mitsubishi Rosas) have entered the city via ship. There are about 7,000 daladalas operating in the city, serving various color-coded routes that range in length between 3 and 30 km. As of 2009, nearly sixty percent of daladalas were more than twenty years old.

Fares range between 250 and 350 Tanzanian Shillings (17 to 24 cents), depending on distance. Though these low fares result in little revenue for operators (the average daladala brings in a daily revenue of about $24), transport costs still account for about 17% of household expenses.

In my month in Tanzania, I took 32 trips on daladalas. The majority of these rides were hot, crowded, and slow. At least the horrendous traffic meant there were plenty of opportunities to buy cold water from the numerous vendors whistling and shouting “Majimajimajimaji!”

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Read Full Post | April 02 2011 | School Bus Migrations and Transport | 2 Comments » |

Sights of Dar es Salaam

Dar es Salaam (House of Peace) is a bustling, steamy port city, the largest in Tanzania. The port is a major gateway for east Africa, especially vital for the landlocked countries of Uganda, Rwanda, Burundi, the DRC, Zambia, and Malawi.

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Read Full Post | April 01 2011 | School Bus Migrations | No Comments » |

Vehicles of Northern Tanzania

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Read Full Post | March 30 2011 | School Bus Migrations | 2 Comments » |

Sights of Zanzibar

On Zanzibar, I enjoyed the stunning white beaches, the lush gardens, and the winding streets of Stone Town. I was especially interested in the island’s history of international trade, resulting religious tolerance (the Anglican Cathedral’s clock tower was donated by Sultan Barghash), and socialist experiments.

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Read Full Post | March 30 2011 | School Bus Migrations | No Comments » |

Daladalas of Zanzibar

Unlike on the mainland, the daladalas of Zanzibar are mostly converted Toyota Dyna trucks. Benches run along the side of the bed, so passengers sit facing each other. A roof provides shade, cover from rain, and a place to store goods. Tarps are rolled up on the edges of the roof, ready to be unfurled to close off the otherwise open-air passenger area from rainstorms.

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Read Full Post | March 30 2011 | School Bus Migrations and Transport | No Comments » |