Pedestrians to press button to get the green light at junctions

Hi-tech. A pedestrian at Fairway junction in Kampala presses a button which sends signals to the controller to emit the green light, allowing pedestrians to cross at the newly installed traffic lights. PHOTO BY ALEX ESAGALA

What you need to know:

Modern. Unlike the old traffic lights whose green flash is pre-set, the green light on the newly installed traffic lights comes on request by the pedestrian.

KAMPALA. Pedestrians need not to worry about crossing the city roads whenever they approach the newly installed traffic lights because there is a provision for them to press a button, which then sends signals to the controller to emit the green lights, allowing them to cross, Daily Monitor has learnt.

New traffic lights are being installed by the Kampala Capital City Authority (KCCA) under the second phase of the Kampala Institutional and Infrastructural Development Project (KIIDP-2) with $183m (about Shs664b) funding from the World Bank.

The KCCA director of engineering and technical services, Mr Andrew Kitaka, told this newspaper in an interview at his office that unlike the old traffic lights whose green time is pre-set and hence fixed, the green time on the newly installed traffic lights comes on request by the pedestrian.

“We are upgrading the junctions in the city and for the pedestrians, we have installed a certain push button whereby a pedestrian at the crossing junction presses it and then waits for it to flash and they cross. However, if you don’t press the button, the green light can’t show,” Mr Kitaka said.

The modern light controllers, Mr Kitaka said, are placed in the small houses which have been constructed around the junctions.

Mr Kitaka explained that for vehicles, there are certain sensors on top of the traffic lights that count the traffic volumes, adding that the controller awards green time for the pedestrians depending on how heavy traffic is on different directions.

“When a pedestrian presses the button, it sends the signal to the controller to programme you and it doesn’t matter how many people press the button. Now, when you get green, other phases will be red and you will be able to cross. When the red comes, motorists will stop because you are crossing,” he said.

Daily Monitor has also established that KCCA plans to have a control room at City Hall, their headquarters, to enable them control traffic in the city.

The installation of the new traffic lights comes at a time when the city is grappling with traffic jams, which is partly caused by lack of signalised junctions in the central business district.

Before KCCA came into being, Kampala City had only eight signaled junctions. However, with the KIIDP-2 project, at least 40 junctions will be installed.

Some of the newly installed traffic lights are at Fairway junction on Yusuf Lule Road, Bwaise-Mambule Road junction, Kabira junction, Kira Road junction, Makerere Hill Road junction and Bakuli-Nakulabye road junctions which are still under construction.

However, pedestrians who spoke to this newspaper said although the new traffic lights cater for them, the request takes long to be processed.

“It’s true these new traffic lights have a provision for us the pedestrians, but it takes quite a long time before the green light shows.

Also, some motorists are stubborn because they don’t obey these lights and this holds us for long,” said Mr Samuel Ssemakadde, a pedestrian.

But Mr Kitaka said the green time usually takes seconds and that “pedestrians ought to cross immediately when the green time comes”.

He said they would carry out sensitisation about the newly installed traffic lights so that both motorists and pedestrians can understand their use.

According to KCCA, several roads and junctions will be constructed around the city under the KIIDP-2 project due to start end of this year.

Out of the 2100km of roads in the city, only 500km are tarmacked.

The roads scheduled for constructions are: John Babiha/Acacia Avenue with six signalised junctions, Nakawa-Ntinda road with three signalised junctions and Lukuli Road in Makindye Division with one signalised junction.

All the new roads and junctions will have a clear signage, paved walkways and signaled controlled pedestrian crossings.

The KCCA spokesperson, Mr Peter Kaujju, told Daily Monitor that the Japan International Cooperation Agency (Jica), is financing the construction of four additional junctions around Kololo and Naguru.

“The locations are Kati-Kati junction, Game-Jinja Road junction towards Naguru, off Lugogo Bypass and the junction at Kololo Independence Grounds,” he said.

Mr Kaujju warned that motorists found parking on walkways would be prosecuted.
However, the physical planning of the city is still lacking as there are no lanes for particular motorists, causing traffic jam.

For example, heavy trucks, ominibuses, boda bodas, taxis, private cars, and special hires and buses all scramble for the city’s narrow roads. The bus terminals and taxi parks in the city coupled with the potholed roads also block the traffic flow in the city.

Mr Charles Sebambulidde, the spokesperson of the Kampala Metropolitan traffic department, recently told this newspaper that although the new traffic lights have slightly reduced congestion in the city, it has not changed on many roads.

“The traffic flow in other parts is still a menace and this can only be controlled by constructing wider roads and flyovers around the city,” he observed