[kictanet] ICT Value to the Counties

Tue Apr 2 11:31:53 EAT 2013

Washington,

You have just answered your own question while at the same time agreeing with me that the solution can be provided by technology.

The traffic lights along Kenyatta Avenues work brilliantly until the police show up and confuse the entire smooth flow as they try to second guess the lights.  The lighting system installed in Nairobi is more advanced than many of us think especially those recent immigrants to the city who have no recollection of efficiently working system.

What you have indicated is that we need a good program developed and building in a feedback mechanism integrated to handle exceptions, this such a basic application that can be developed by anyone with a little development language.

The County of Nairobi has an entire department responsible for monitoring, analysing and implementing traffic flow solutions, many of the staff have post graduate degrees in their fields.  I once had the privilege of driving together with one of the staff in the department past the City Mortuary round about and I made a the "expert" statement that "only a fly over could solve the snarl-ups".  

He literally laughed in my face and told me to stop regagiated a former minister of roads statements, the solution he told me was to make the particular round about smaller, a proposal that had been presented to the ministry, being responsible for the particular road as it is a trunk, who dismissed it as too pedestrian to work.

A few years later the proposal was actually implemented and the snarl-up cleared, the same was done to the Langata Road/Mbagathi Road roundabout but was not extended to the Argwins Kodhek roundabout which would have been required to provide a complete solution.

So Washington, the police officer who was telling you that the lights cannot solve the traffic problem on Mombasa Road/Uhuru Highway/Waiyaki way main city artery was as knowledgeable in traffic flow as I am in thrombosis analysis.

The reason that both sets of lights at the Nyayo Stadium do not work is because the hawkers have been providing incentives to those responsible for maintaining the status quo, it has nothing to do with the lack of complex algorithms in the traffic lights system.

If Dr. Kidero (MBA) is truly digital one of his deliverable for the first 100 days in office should be to get the lights switched back on along the entire length of Nairobi's main artery while at it he should clean all the pedestrian bridges and send those police officers back to the station for redeployment and replace them with speed cameras and the highly effective kanjo askaris to deal with the basic issue of drivers and pedestrians not adhering to the traffic lights.  

With the current fine of 10,000/- for not stopping at a red light for drivers and 2,000/- for pedestrians he will be able to cover his payroll for April, May and June after which we shall either be too broke to drive into the CBD or have learned to respect them, either of which is a desirable outcome.

So, can we now agree that we have a role to play in making Nairobi a better county to live in or will we continue to be spectators in our own industry?

Regards

Robert Yawe
KAY System Technologies Ltd
Phoenix House, 6th Floor
P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
Kenya

Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696

________________________________
 From: Odhiambo Washington <odhiambo at gmail.com>
To: robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk 
Cc: KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions <kictanet at lists.kictanet.or.ke> 
Sent: Tuesday, 2 April 2013, 10:06
Subject: Re: [kictanet] ICT Value to the Counties

Hi Bobby,

I believe (not think!) that the traffic snarls in Nairobi CANNOT be solved with technology (where technology == ICTs) - I mean, not the traffic. Never. Why am I saying so?
The problem is that of poor planning and only re-planning with forecast can help solve it. Just using some computers will not. Will never as it is right now. I am not saying "impossible", but looking at the cost, it will end up not making economic sense. My way of looking at it is that we'll have to have a means to predict the traffic volumes expected at those rights and use those parameters to re-program the lights controllers on the fly.
I recently had a long argument with a senior officer involved in Traffic Control in Nairobi and we kinda unanimously agreed that the issue will have to be addressed by the city planners in consultation with the Police - and both teams barely know how to use computers or wouldn't want to use them - for same reasons I suspect some organization let their fail - fear of audit.

On 2 April 2013 09:09, robert yawe <robertyawe at yahoo.co.uk> wrote:

Hi,
>
>I was hoping that now that we have a new dispensation that traffic flow on Uhuru Highway will have been handed back to the traffic lights unfortunately this is not the case and the police keep competing with the traffic lights.
>
>Can we take this up as the first campaign by KICTANET to show that we are truly committed to seeing technology applied to improving the lives of Kenyans beginning with the long suffering drivers in the County of Nairobi?
>
>Regards
>
>
>
> 
>Robert Yawe
>KAY System Technologies Ltd
>Phoenix House, 6th Floor
>P O Box 55806 Nairobi, 00200
>Kenya
>
>
>Tel: +254722511225, +254202010696
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-- 
Best regards,
Odhiambo WASHINGTON,
Nairobi,KE
+254733744121/+254722743223
"I can't hear you -- I'm using the scrambler."

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The Kenya ICT Action Network (KICTANet) is a multi-stakeholder platform for people and institutions interested and involved in ICT policy and regulation. The network aims to act as a catalyst for reform in the ICT sector in support of the national aim of ICT enabled growth and development.

KICTANetiquette : Adhere to the same standards of acceptable behaviors online that you follow in real life: respect people's times and bandwidth, share knowledge, don't flame or abuse or personalize, respect privacy, do not spam, do not market your wares or qualifications.
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