Traffic still a nightmare on Thika Superhighway

It is the exceptional highway in east and central Africa stretching from Kenya’s capital Nairobi to Thika town approximately 42 kilometers.

the modern highway

Thika superhighway which consists of four lanes to and from Nairobi with a service lane on each side was completed in the year 2012 in a bid to solve the traffic jam between the two towns. Along the highway there are about three towns which most of its residents come to Nairobi every morning either to work or their business goods.

                                                            

According to a driver of the Chania travelers Sacco, James Muriuki who has operated on this route for about a decade says that, “when former president Mwai kibaki opened the construction of this superhighway, we thought that it would save us the traffic jam which is a chronic problem.”

But what could be the problem with the traffic situation along this great highway? Mr. Isaac Omollo who is a taxi driver mainly operating on the highway says that the traffic situation could be calmed if there is a regulation of the number of cars getting into town. “Take a case where twenty private vehicles get into town with only a driver. This is unnecessary considering there is a perfect public transport in place.”

He continued to note that during midday the traffic situation falls back in order pointing that personal vehicles to him were the cause every rush hour. “This jam is mainly in the rush hours of the morning and evening, so what does that indicate? People with personal cars getting to and off their work contribute a lot in the traffic jam.”

a section of the road towards Nairobi

Another interesting suggestions were from a TUK TUK driver who operate at OTC to Makongeni estate, Mr. Kamau Njoroge, “If am given a chance to address the President, I would ask him to relocate some sectors away from the CBD. I don’t think Gikomba, Muthurwa, and Jua kali markets are in the right locations.  

He argued that this markets should be relocated to the outskirts of the central business district in order to ensure that people entering the CBD had business to do the