Tanzania: Mwanza City Eyes Bus Rapid Transit Services

Publication: allAfrica

Author: Katare Mbashiru

Traffic jam on Univeristy Way, Nairobi (Photo by Kevin Mwanza/AFKInsider)

PLANS are afoot to establish Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) in the Mwanza City, making the rocky city the second to have the service after Dar es Salaam. Upon completion, the project is expected to address the perennial gridlock, providing space for business in the city’s Central Business District (CBD) to flourish.

The BRT project is included in the Mwanza City Master Plan 2035 that includes a variety of projects that aim at giving the Lake Zone Region a new picture that will help in attracting more local and international investors in the region, according toåƒ the Urban Planning Officer in the region, Mr Misana Bihemo.

The BRT issue is likely to be among the issues to be discussed at the planned Mwanza Business Forum scheduled for Tuesday next week. The day-long forum is organised by Tanzania Standard Newspapers (TSN) Limited in collaboration with over 15 local and international partners.

TSN publishes the ‘Daily News,’ ‘HabariLeo’, ‘Sunday News,’ ‘HabariLeo Jumapili’ and ‘SpotiLeo.’ BRT is a bus-based mode of mass transport operating on exclusive right-of-way lanes at the surface level. BRT aims to combine the cost and simplicity of a bus system.

The city’s master plan, seen by the ‘Daily News,’ intends to have 40m-wide roads to accommodate BRT as well as cycle lanes and landscaping, depending on the character of the surrounding area.

The BRT lanes are proposed in the Primary Arterial of the plan which seeks to have a 3.65m width, appropriate to accommodate BRT, with the widely recognised Institute for Transport Development and Policy (ITDP) guidance stating that a width of 3.6m is appropriate for these types of vehicles.

Three illustrative arrangements for the primary arterial roads have been considered. They are: Primary Arterial (National), Primary Arterial (CBD) and Primary Arterial (Rapid Transit), where a BRT station is provided.

The Secondary arterial typically accommodates two lanes in each direction. They can carry regular bus services and BRT in CBD broken to accommodate BRT stops, which serve buses stopping on the carriageway, rather than pulling into a lay-by.

This is in line with global best practice, with the effect of prioritising public transport over private transport. The approach makes bus operation more efficient and attractive to users. Tanzania Road Design Manual had been used as a base for developing the road cross sections, but departures from these standards have been sought by creating Road Cross Section Guidelines, to produce appropriate road sections for the city.

The spacing of roads in the proposals is broadly in line with the recommendations of the Concept Plan report. The city’s master plan also proposes a bypass road to the north of the city that will serve as an Expressway. Initially, it was planned as a dual carriageway with three lanes per direction. This road sits on a 60m right-ofway that allows for future expansion when required.

The city will also have collector roads according to the investment coordinator in the region, Mr Kaswalala Benjamin. Collector roads typically accommodate two lanes in each direction, and can have on-street parking.

They can carry local bus services, but not regular bus services, and give access to larger individual plots and properties. The right-of-way of collector roads according to the master plan will have 25m-wide roads.