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Nairobi now collecting traffic data online

Dubbed the Digital Matatu Project, the crowd sourcing initiative will allow residents of Nairobi to share their daily experiences and views on traffic flow. This data will in turn help the county government to device and implement new transport policies/FILE

Dubbed the Digital Matatu Project, the crowd sourcing initiative will allow residents of Nairobi to share their daily experiences and views on traffic flow. This data will in turn help the county government to device and implement new transport policies/FILE

NAIROBI, Kenya, Jan 28 – The Nairobi County government has launched a web portal that will help collect data on traffic flow and congestion in the city, with the aim of helping planners create a better management system.

The digital transit map www.digitalmatatus.com was developed by scholars from the University of Nairobi in partnership with Columbia University.

Dubbed the Digital Matatu Project, the crowd sourcing initiative will allow residents of Nairobi to share their daily experiences and views on traffic flow. This data will in turn help the county government to device and implement new transport policies.

While launching the platform, Transport Principal Secretary Nduva Muli challenged the county government to enforce all city by-laws to bring sanity on the roads.

“Before 1st of April, give us route maps for the new licensing of public service vehicles; give us new route maps that make sense because what is happening today, a route is commencing somewhere outside the city and terminating inside the city creating massive congestion,” he said.

“Routes are being developed without clear thinking and that’s why we have a lot of problem in the City.”

The Public Transport, Infrastructure and Public Works County Executive Evans Ondieki said with a good flow of traffic, the said the city will attract more investors.

On Monday, Nairobi Governor Evans Kidero formed an eight-member committee that will come up with measures to decongest the city.

The committee will collect views in 60 days after which it will present an interim report to the Governor for approval.

“The Transport and Urban Decongestion Committee will be able to engage the members of the county in all the 17-sub counties,” he pointed out.

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He noted that the city transport system had to be improved, to attract more investors.

Members of the public were also asked to present their views to the committee that may help improve the current situation.

“As a city we cannot continue operating like this, we want people to move freely and also operate in a manner that encourage investors,” he said.

He said that upon receiving the report, they will also establish a pedestrian framework on Nairobi roads saying, “Pedestrians are a despised group, nobody has respect for pedestrians an in reverse, they do not have respect for motor vehicles.”

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