In Kigali, Rwanda the Global Green growth Institute in Rwanda is happy to announce the winner of the African Mobility Month 2021 design competition. Mr MIZERO Jules is Masters student at the University of Rwanda , completing his Msc in Highway Engineering & Management. Jules design will soon be on display in City of Kigali , he will also participate in a podcast with the Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI) . TUMI is the leading global implementation initiative on sustainable urban mobility formed through the union of 11 prestigious partners.
Mizero Jules explained his design stating that this design of Kinamba junction was done using Aimsun Next software. It consists of four approaches at the intersection:
Nyabugogo or Yamaha approach at the right,
Kacyiru approach at left,
Vision-city approach and
Gisozi approach.
All intersection approaches have bicycle lanes, trees and grass section and pedestrian paths respectively after vehicle lanes on both sides. All pedestrian queuing facilities are ramped, to be used by all pedestrian types including vulnerable road users. The pedestrian paths are separated from other traffic by plants section which make it safe for children and other pedestrians not to interact with vehicles and bicycles.
The designed Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Kinamba station adopted the proposed BRT infrastructure Type V and other parts are designed with respect to the sections between stations as specified in Table 3-4: BRT cross-section., of Kigali Master Plan Traffic report. The inner most lane is exclusively reserved for buses only in both direction which reduces interaction of buses with other vehicles hence reducing public transportation travel time. Also, this reserved lane can allow bus charging infrastructure when buses operators change to electrification in future to reduce carbon emission. This intersection design is indigenous as it can accommodate both uncontrolled and controlled intersection depending on traffic volume and conflicts (opposite to roundabout which would require major geometric changes if the traffic increases). If the percentage of left turns is low as it is normally for major arterials, the through traffic is given full green time and the left turning vehicles do so by yielding through gaps which eliminate unnecessary stopping, delay and carbon emission. But at this condition the through traffic have to have a yield to bus law, which means the bus has a priority even if it is making a left turn movement. When the conflicting movement increases with years traffic control plan can be executed with signals and green allocation. If the actuated (adaptive signals) technology is cost feasible it can be the best option in order to use the intersection optimally by allocating green according to the available critical volume at each instant (This is an ITS technology which stands for Intelligent Transportation System). For this technology, it should have bus detectors on order to give public transportation a traffic signal priority.
The bus stops have been put in the middle in order to allow people to transfer (to change buses for example: A person from Gisozi heading to Remera can come with Gisozi-Nyabugogo bus, then alights at Kinamba bus stop and then boards Nyabugogo-Remera. This applies as well to all the remaining origin-destination combinations without crossing the road. This reduces passenger-automobile interactions which in turn reduces accidents, traffic stops, traffic delays, carbon emission, and save passengers efforts especially for vulnerable road users including: women, children, elderly and people with disabilities.
Though not seen in the pimage, the design suggests a pedestrian cross-over with ramps (a pedestrian bridge that can used by all people including vulnerable road users) at bus stop road cross-section to help pedestrian from both side of the road and bus stop to move to other parts without interacting with vehicles especially at peak hours which magnifies the above-mentioned advantages and other more. The bridge and bus stop infrastructure can be artistically designed to exhibit Rwandan culture in terms of construction. All materials are available in Rwanda: Grass, trees, cements and aggregates for reinforced bridges, pedestrian path, bicycles and vehicle lanes. Only bitumen would be imported. For road drainage, gated curbs, manholes and pipes network can be put below the road infrastructure to conduct surface rainwater to natural streams.
Mr Mizero Jules, mizerojules111@gmail.com , contact 0789953272
About Rwanda Design Competition for Africa Mobility Month
GGGI Rwanda announces the African Mobility Month Kinamba Junction Design Competition for 2021
Rwanda has embarked on several initiatives aimed at reducing air pollution. These include attractive incentives for transitioning to electric vehicles, reduced tariffs for electric vehicle charging stations, the exploration of dedicated bus lanes and bus rapid transit (BRT), conversion of the central business district (CBD) to a car-free, pedestrian corridor, and the launch of the country’s first public bicycle sharing system in the City of Kigali. In order to promote and incentivize walking and cycling, more resources are needed for continuous bicycle lanes, upgraded pedestrian walkways, and non-motorized transport (NMT) infrastructure as well as design features to facilitate the use of public transport.
Rwanda has recently installed air pollution sensors throughout the country. Through the Mobile Ambient Air Quality Monitoring system, policymakers and researchers have found that three areas in the City of Kigali are consistently within the red zone, meaning air pollution is at over 35%. The junction is plagued by inadequate pedestrian crossings, limited facilities for cyclists including bicycle taxis, which cater to low-income road users.
About African Mobility Month
AfricanMobilityMonth (AMM) advocates for people-centred, low carbon and resilient mobility that contributes positively to urban citizen’s health and wellbeing by promoting sustainable and equitable mobility and transport in African cities.
This month-long social media campaign seeks to elevate mobility trends, projects, and initiatives implemented by ICLEI Africa, local governments and mobility partners across the continent.
This digital platform provides the space to share knowledge, experiences and resources as well as coordinate events and activities such as car-free days and open streets to celebrate the importance of urban mobility for liveable, connected cities.
https://africa.iclei.org/african-mobility-month/