Kigali traffic

I am sitting next to a driving friend, who is impatiently counting down the seconds on the traffic light. A futile effort because a police officer is on the road, one hand up, signalling a wait for our turn. But the creature of habit that he is, he counts on.

Meanwhile, a young man is in my right ear, imploring me and the friend to move further and stop on the right roadside. He’d like to ask a few questions. “Is it about those insurance or banking questionnaires?” I bark at him. “No, sir, about this road, please.”

I have a few unpleasant things to say about this notoriously, permanently traffic-jammed spot on this road so I implore the friend, in turn. When I tell him it’s about this road, he post-haste cuts through protesting drivers in other lanes, to park beyond the kerb.

This was at a place known as Giporoso, a spot known as Prince House after the house, where we were, to one known as Cyamitsingi, which used to host a poster advertising Mützig beer. The poster is no longer there, but, again, creatures of habit!

There are GPS numbers, for sure, but even I, writing this, would be lost at sea if you gave me directions like: from the RN3-RN5 junction through the KG109 Street-KK18 Avenue connection to the KN5 Road-RN3 intersection. So, creatures of habit, back to our old ways!

Anyway, now we were all ears, and the boy started: “A road above this one (for “flyover”), do you feel it’d be good for motorists, the environment………?” “Say no more!”, we cut him short, “It’d be the best thing that happened this side of the road-upgrade-campaign! We’d all plant trees all over, if only to appease our environment.”

So, this drilling of the ground around Giporoso all the way from what’s known as Mulindi Road that’s been going on for a while, is that the meaning of it all? We re-entered the interminable traffic snarl-up, now with happy smirks on our mugs.

Think about it. From Nyamata, you reach the Akagera (ex-Nyabarongo) Bridge and heave a sigh of relief. Now you are going to experience the beauty of driving. As the centre street lamps and Sophias (speed cameras, at the whole of 80km/h, here and there) seem to zoom by, you glide along swiftly but cosily, slackening speed only as you approach the Sonatube roundabout.

Even then, you continue smoothly until the abominable bottleneck at Prince House, where, if there is a snail nearby, it’ll be rolling with laughter! Well, looks like the days of snail joy are dying fast.

Because if this place sees a flyover and a double-carriageway and becomes like the formerly dishonourable Kicukiro Centre, motorists will drive wearing the Cheshire smile at all hours!

They won’t be the only ones. With perhaps a thinner smile, if you are from the city centre, you’ll only slow down at the lights, if you are turning towards Kimihurura, at Sopetrad.

Then maybe again at the lights going towards KBC/Kigali Heights and then as you approach the Kigali Heights-Kigali Convention Centre roundabout. Again you’ll stick in a traffic jam as you reach Gishushu and maybe Gisimenti.

So, any flyovers in the offing, to clamp over these snail smiles for good? With the speed at which road expansion is moving, that godsend seems to be nigh.

Because from the city centre through Rwandex it’ll be no snail-joy till Prince House. Nor will it be, from the city centre till Nyabugogo, if you are taking that route. But woe unto thee, if you are turning at Yamaha and taking the road to Kabuga ka Nyarutarama, at the Kinyinya road-Nyarutarama convergence.

That spot has become a headache. It’s a blockage for vehicles from Kinyinya, Kibagabaga, MTN Centre, Tennis Club, Kacyiru, etc., without considering oncoming traffic.

After the roads around the inner and wider Kigali City, those that lead to the distant outskirts and out of Kigali, south-westward (towards Kabwayi) bound traffic have been helped by the wide Nyamirambo Road that goes over Mt. Kigali to connect at the Nyabarongo Bridge.

Meanwhile, those northward-bound traffic over Mt. Shyorongi, road construction officials will need time to split their hairs over that. What about those other northward bound, towards Gicumbi? With traffic flow from across the border increasing, I see heads literally exploding.

We can talk about more directions yet but, all in all, in the end wouldn’t it be wise to concentrate on expanding rural roads alone?

Heads can then crackle on how to send Kigali traffic skyward, if not underground. I know heads are boiling over this: were we not shown an idea of bubble-like mobiles sailing on the wires up, going down only to drop or pick up passengers? What about trams high up, also?

Well, Kigalois, start entertaining the idea of forgetting your increasingly many prized motorcars at home, will you? Then you can sail the skies of Kigali in transparent bubbles/trams and truly enjoy a bird’s eye view of the scenic hills, valleys and the so many eco-tourism parks coming up!