He said that walking and cycling could provide a solution to the ever-growing traffic congestion in Gaborone and called for the expansion of non-motorised transport facilities. He also called for a shift in perspective towards creating better and sustainable diversity of transport modes.
“An important option is expansion of opportunities for safe non-motorised transport to complement motorised transport,” he said but emphasised that for this to become a reality, there is a need to improve the environment for walking and cycling.
He reminded various stakeholders huddled at the workshop in Maharaja Restaurant that the solution to congestion often resorted to by transport planners- expanding roads - has not alleviated the situation.
“It is widely accepted that city transport planners have tended to react to congestion by creating wider spaces for vehicles to move yet as more space becomes available, more cars join the flow,” he said.
He added that the increase in traffic resulting from the expansion of roads will only help to exacerbate the burden of providing for motorised systems.
“There is a need to shift this perspective and move towards a sustainable diversity of transport modes,” he said.
This is where the option of expanding non-motorised transport comes in, hence the workshop, which is expected to help address the serious challenge of improving general mobility and accessibility at a lower cost.
He said in many parts of the continent people walk to school, shops, visit friends as well as cycle yet “walking and cycling can be dangerous and inefficient in Gaborone”.
The United Nations Development Programme and its partner the Global Environment Facility have provided the council with funding to prepare a proposal for a demonstration of a medium sized project aimed at mainstreaming non-motorised transport in Gaborone.
This would also apply to other cities in the country and the region.
“The demonstration project will provide model infrastructure and other necessary support systems that will encourage commuters to shift some trips made by cars to cycling and walking,” he stated.
