BRRA suggests solution to Crowhill Road traffic jam woes

Peter Tanyanyiwa Suburban Reporter

The worsening traffic congestion on Crowhill Road in Borrowdale has jolted residents of the area to engage schools in the neighbourhood to consider mass transportation of students to and from school to lessen the number of cars using the road during the morning rush hours.

Residents say the crippling congestion calls for urgent action to address the woes motorists are facing daily to navigate on the busy Crowhill Road.

Through their representative body, the Borrowdale Ratepayers and Residents Association (BRRA), the residents have called for the implementation of effective and sustainable traffic management systems in Ward 18 and Harare in view of the daily chaos on Crowhill Road and other roads in the city.

Congestion on Crowhill Road has been exacerbated by the recent reopening of schools for the first term of 2024 as an influx of vehicles of parents dropping off their children at The Heritage School, is causing significant delays and inconveniencing other motorists. The Heritage School enrolls both primary and secondary students.

One proposed solution involves schools like The Heritage facilitating mass transportation options that would circumvent the need for parents to do the school run. The BRRA suggests identifying transit points within the school’s catchment area, where larger capacity vehicles such as buses can pick up children after being dropped off by their parents.

The residents’ body believes such an initiative could help alleviate the traffic congestion caused by parents driving all the way to the school to drop off their children.

To ensure the success of this proposal, the BRRA has actively engaged the schools within Ward 18, seeking their support and collaboration. Once the schools endorse the initiative, relevant authorities will be consulted to implement the necessary changes.

Apart from easing traffic congestion, the mass transportation approach would also have a significant environmental impact. By reducing the number of private vehicles on the road, carbon emissions would be greatly diminished, addressing concerns about air pollution levels that have reached worrying levels within the ward’s neighbourhoods.

Residents of Ward 18 are hopeful that the proposed sustainable traffic management systems, combined with the cooperation of schools and relevant authorities, will provide a much-needed solution to the prevailing traffic woes.

According to the BRRA, the stretch of Crowhill Road between Borrowdale Brooke Estate T-junction and Liberation Legacy Way has become a bottleneck, with vehicles stuck in congestion stretching up to as far as two kilometres.

Motorists from the new settlements of Crowhill, Charlotte Brooke, and Sally Mugabe Heights are also experiencing the traffic congestion due to a constant flow of vehicles driving out of these suburbs.

BRRA chairperson Mr Robert Mutyasira told Suburban this week that the traffic situation has reached a crisis point and the need for urgent attention on the management of traffic cannot be overstated.

“The situation has reached a crisis point, and it is imperative that we find long-term solutions to address the traffic woes faced by our residents. The urgency of addressing this issue cannot be overstated.

“Failure to take immediate action would render our community’s neighborhoods inhospitable due to the escalating traffic situation,” warned Mr Mutyasira.