Africa's big cities groan under gridlock
Africa's cities are expanding fast. Many more motorists are using the roads. Urban planners are seeking to unlock chronic traffic congestion, but the right resources are not always available.
Africa's congested urban roads
Traffic in sub-Saharan Africa’s larger cities is growing fast. Over the last 20 years, the number of cars on the roads in Abidjan, Ivory Coast has almost tripled from 100,000 to just under 300,000. Neither the road network nor the local public transport system can cope with this large volume of traffic. Many cities are gridlocked.
Not often on your own
Unlike Europe, it is unusual in Africa to see a car with just one occupant – the driver. Share taxis and minibuses – like these bright colored ones in Senegal - carry up to 20 people. Even motorcycles take two or three passengers. But despite this economical use of seating capacity, roads in many African cities are permanently congested.
Not just for motorists
Obstacles impeding traffic flow are one reason for congestion, according to the road safety authority in Ivory Coast. Street vendors – whose utensils are seen here in Bouake, Ivory Coast – ply their trade on the sidewalk or even on the road itself.
Evicting street vendors
The authorities in Ivory Coast regularly evict street vendors. Several dozen illicit shops were demolished in Bouake in November 2013.
Hazardous for pedestrians
Pedestrians in Africa live dangerously because of motorists’ erratic driving habits and the poor condition of the vehicles they drive. 600 people were killed and more than 11,000 were injured on the roads in Ivory Coast in 2012. Many of them were children.
More motorcycles
As in many other African cities, motorcycles are becoming increasingly popular in Bamako, capital of Mali. They are relatively inexpensive and can wind their way with ease through the congested four-wheel traffic. But they are notorious polluters. In Benin, they account for more than half of the country’s emissions of toxic carbon monoxide.
Sustainable transport
This mode of transport is becoming rare in Africa’s big cities. Horse-drawn vehicles are banned in many parts of the Senegalese capital Dakar, because they supposedly block the traffic. But in Rufisque and other poorer districts of Dakar, they are a common sight.
No money for the underground
On other continents, big cities have reacted to the increase in traffic volume by investing billions in public transport. Many African cities can’t afford to build suburban or underground rail networks. Cape Town, South Africa, has special bus lanes. A similar system is operating in Lagos, Nigeria.
City train
One of the few cities in sub-Saharan Africa with a suburban rail network is Dakar, Senegal. The “Petit train de banlieue” (small suburban train) connects the city center to the outlying districts. Government subsidies keep the price of tickets low, but the track is in poor condition.
Pedal power
The bicycle is an important means of transport in many African countries. But only very few cities have built cycle lanes. This one is in Duala, Cameroon.