Ensure roads are safe for all and street lights work

It has become apparent that at some point, street lighting after sunset and before sunrise moved from being an expected necessity to an unpredictable luxury.

A United Nations Environment Programme report estimates that 46 per cent of all human movement in Nairobi is through walking, with an overwhelming 97 per cent of Nairobians using public transport, implying a lot of walking between stops and their final destinations.

Kenyan roads already have too few designated walkways and cycle paths. Crossing zones, road signage, lane markings, bus stops and resting areas are also not adequate.

Several hazards also abound, from broken slabs to open manholes and more, and these are ignored for a long time before fixing.

The roads are also notably unsafe at night, especially for women and children, who face higher risk of assault and mugging. Lack of lighting added to this already impossible situation increases dangers to pedestrians exponentially.

Further complications arise with the emergence of bicycles, motorcycles and cars. Motorists must use additional light at night to illuminate the roads and declare their presence to other road users.

However, these lights are designed to work in tandem with adequate street lighting. In the absence of this, cars increase the brilliance of their personal lights, compromising vision for other road users and increasing the risk of accidents.

Increased road works over the past few years in Kenyan urban centres present further problems. These active construction zones lack demarcation, resulting in dangerously steep road shoulders, blurs in the border between roads and pavements, and even higher risk of collision through improper placement of boulders as markers.

Drink driving

It is thus hypocritical to blame Kenyan road users for increases in road accidents, or focus interventions on drink driving alone, when the roads themselves are so jampacked with problems. Fixing these systemic challenges requires long-term strategies.

As a starting point, a multi-department crisis committee, including representatives from the national and county governments, must investigate why lights are lacking across the country in the public areas where they are so sorely needed. This must also investigate beyond the roads into wider shared spaces, like alleys and public grounds.

It is crucial that public lighting is powered sustainably, and where possible, transition to solar or alternative power would be a welcome relief from reliance on the main grid.

Moreover, there must be accountability when the lights go off. All repairs must be undertaken and finalised within a much shorter time than is done currently. Any time lost should be hours or days, as opposed to weeks or months.

Kenyans are tired of having their safety ignored, especially when this neglect has resulted in significant challenges for the entire road-using public. These issues must be solved, to ease transport for the millions of Kenyans who move around the country every day.

The writer is a policy analyst. [email protected]