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The Namibian
Mon 12 Aug 2013

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SMS Of The Day * MINISTRY of Gender and Child Welfare, TEARS are rolling down as I write this SMS. The killing of women in Namibia is now like reciting a poem. Are we really getting the protection we deserve while women not being treated as part of this c
Food For Thought * SO the Zimbabwe elections were free and peaceful and not free and fair?
Bouquets And Brickbats * NURSES at Katutura Hospital must stop wearing those big plastic sandals at work because they are not the official working shoes. We want to see you looking smart and beautiful with your full uniform.
SMS Of The Day * THIS nation is in dire need of a massive conference on housing. When we experienced a crisis in the education sector a crisis-control brain-storming conference was organised which resulted in the best deal ever for the Namibian child, nam
Food For Thought * BOURGEOISIE has become a daily occupation if not the order of the day of the upper-echelons, President Hifikepunye Pohamba we urge you to revisit this unpatriotic geocentricism among your staff and the well-connected, for everybody to r
Bouquets And Brickbats * COMMISSIONER of Prisons, can you please explain the strategies you use to appoint officers to certain positions? It is my observation that you are being fed with wrong information then you just promote individuals without making p
SMS Of The Day * I THINK Paulus ‘The Rock’ Ambunda lost his belt because of this promoter and trainer. How can a world champion still be training at the Katutura Youth Complex where there is not enough equipment. I think they must follow the example of Ha
Food For Thought * NAMIBIA Dairies are unable to match low prices of imported milk and this ultimately means the consumer will have to pay more for local milk. Look at the prices of the local chicken. All these profits are going in the pockets of a few in
Bouquets And Brickbats * I AM pleased to hear that Cabinet has responded positively to the proposal of Namibia Dairies to support the industry. The restrictions which support the industry by reducing competition to ensure the survival of the industry is a
SMS Of The Day * CEO’s golden handshakes. Somewhere on our statute books there must be a provision that if a board of directors suspends/dismisses a CEO without due regard to legal provision (substantive/procedural law) such board must carry the costs for
Food For Thought * JACKY Asheeke was so right with her last column- why are the fathers of the dead children not being prosecuted? (Reference to the children who died in shack fires last week) Our justice system still protects men over women. In this cont
Bouquets And Brickbats * ALEXACTUS Kaure, your column in Friday’s newspaper opened my eyes. One hardly finds impartial case study analysers in Namibia. Let’s not destroy the Polytechnic’s strong foundation (Tjivikua) as yet. At least wait until the transf

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NEWS - NAMIBIA | 2013-07-31

Plan to end Windhoek’s transport woes

Chamwe Kaira

GRIDLOCK ... A Transport Master Plan for Windhoek shows that compared to nine other African cities, Windhoek’s taxi fares are four times more expensive. The taxi industry is an important part of the plan to improve the transport system in the city. The document says the taxi industry will also have to improve its service quality to ensure safer transport for Windhoek’s residents.

Photograph by Jordaania Andima

A MASTER plan meant to improve the capital city’s transport system will be unveiled next month.

The 20-year plan is a joint project that has been undertaken since July last year by Ministry of Works and Transport, City of Windhoek, Ministry of Local Government and Housing and the Deutsche Gesellschaft für internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) and is known as the Transport Master plan for Windhoek.

GIZ is the German government’s development agency and its technical advisor Frederik Strompen told The Namibian that the plan is nearing completion and that it is meant to serve the city for the next 20 years. He also said the project was conducted on a consultative approach.

“The participatory approach was chosen as a suitable way to gather information during the development phase,” he said.

Strompen said the partners took their time to have a realistic but also visionary planning document at hand. After the plan is published, all interested parties and the public at large will be given an opportunity to comment on the document.

“Implementation will start thereafter,” Strompen confirmed. He said document will develop a prioritised plan for short, medium and long transport improvements.

With Windhoek’s population growing at a rate of 4,3 % per annum, the capital is expected to have 737 000 residents by 2032. There is also a growing commuter transport need from Rehoboth and Okahandja, Strompen said.

Statistics in the plan show that close to half of the population in the city commute by taxis, which are said to be four times more expensive than in nine African cities surveyed. Strompen said poor residents spend about 24% of their income on transport, which he said is a lot compared to other cities worldwide and that only a quarter of the residents can afford to buy cars.

“The Master Plan aims to establish a public transport system that is accessible, safe and affordable for everybody. Although not all transport problems might be visible already, Windhoek is growing at a very high speed,” he said.

The capital also has a high accident rate, which is 20% more than the national average.

*See Bottomline page 16: Windhoek seeking solution to traffic gridlock