Household, traffic survey underway in Harare

The City of Harare is conducting household and traffic surveys as part of its masterplan formulation with Mayor Jacob Mafume expressing optimism the processes will help the city wriggle out of its congestion and service delivery woes

Suburban Reporters

The surveys, which began last Thursday involve the deployment of research assistants to conduct traffic counts and socio-economic data collection across the city’s wards.

The mayor highlighted that traffic planning is a key element of the Harare Master Plan as the city grapples with issues such as congestion, rapid transport, mass transport, rail transport, accidents and traffic control.

“We are now gathering data for traffic at intersections right around the city and this survey is going to go for three days and then going to start again after some time. We are beginning to try and get to the root causes so that we can come up with solutions in relation to the behavior of traffic,” he said.

The mayor said the city has plans to introduce larger buses, rail transport and other environmentally-friendly modes of transport such as electric cars and bicycles.

“There is no reason why we should not use bicycles, this used to be a bicycle nation.

“People used to go to work with bicycles.

“That is why our fathers used to live longer than the current generation because they were healthy.

“So we are going to reintroduce travelling healthy,” he said.

Councillor Mafume also emphasised the need to reduce the number of small cars on the roads, improve the road infrastructure and reduce accidents and loss of life due to traffic incidents.

“We are happy that this master planning process has begun in earnest and we will be able to deal with the various pain points that have been affecting citizens, such as parking, bus parking, town parking and all other related issues to do with traffic in Harare,” he said.

The comprehensive household survey launched this week, along with the recently announced traffic survey, are part of the ongoing preparation for the city’s master plan, the only one outstanding among the local authorities in Zimbabwe and already several months overdue.

The household survey aims to gather critical data about the character and profile of neighbourhoods, as well as the challenges faced by residents and space users.

To facilitate this process, the city has deployed 800 research assistants throughout the city.

In addition to the physical surveys, Harare will use online platforms, enabling residents to contribute their input at their convenience.

The City of Harare is partnering with Development Studio Africa Pvt Ltd and Surbana Jurong Infrastructure from Singapore, the latter known for its work on the Kigali Master Plan in Rwanda.

During the deployment announcement at the Mayoral Mansion in Gunhill, principal consultant Mr Trymore Muderere said the survey employed a socio-economic survey instrument designed to capture detailed information about neighbourhoods and the challenges residents faced.

“This tool aims to give a voice to the residents of Harare, space users, and business owners, allowing them to participate actively in the master plan preparation process,” he said.

The 800 enumerators, equipped with Android devices, will collect data using a near real-time mobile application that syncs directly with analytical platforms.

This digital approach is intended to enhance the efficiency and accuracy of the data collection process.

Harare Mayor Jacob Mafume commended the research assistants for their commitment to the city’s vision but told them to maintain professionalism and politeness when interacting with ratepayers.

“No city just sprouts like a mushroom; it is planned by people.

“The purpose of the master plan is to strategically locate essential services such as schools, clinics, and roads to foster development,” he said.

The first draft of the master plan is expected to be presented to the council for adoption and subsequently submitted to Government by the end of January next year, seven months overdue.

In November last year President Mnangagwa directed all 92 of the country’s councils to develop master plans by June 30 this year to address the issue of haphazard settlements.

While many local authorities engaged consultants early in 2023, Harare only awarded its master plan tender on June 6, just three weeks before the initial deadline.

With the city’s last master plan update dating back to 1993, Harare is now under pressure to finalise a new plan, having requested an extension for the June deadline.

Last week the city deployed 650 traffic enumerators to study the traffic flows on major intersections and roads in the city.

“These traffic enumerators will be counting traffic from 6 am to 8 pm.

“Then they have segments, say from 6 am to 8 am, this is the morning peak, then mid-morning 10 am to 12 pm, then 12 pm to 2 pm, which can essentially be a peak point as well.

“Then 2 pm to 4 pm, 4 pm to 6 pm and 6 pm to 8 pm. So, we have an evening peak from 4 pm to 6 pm, sometimes up to 8 pm, which we are trying to establish,” said Mr Muderere.