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have left city fathers with no solution.
The city ranks have become too small to effectively accommodate the estimated 5 000 commuter omnibuses in Harare.
Even during the day, especially when business is low, the commuter omnibuses end up overflowing onto the roads leaving them severely congested.
A case in point is the heavily congested Chinhoyi Street which is reduced to a single lane as kombis from the western suburbs of Kuwadzana, Dzivaresekwa and others overflow on the streets.
Efforts by the ZRP and municipal police to control the city ranks have been met with unfortunate incidents such as clashes with rank marshals and authorities.
Such clashes have resulted in unfortunate deaths of innocent commuters and pedestrians in hit-and-run situations.
The congestion has suddenly become one critical social ill that continues to bedevil the City of Harare. Disappointingly, no solution seems to be in sight.
City spokesperson Mr Leslie Gwindi is on record as dismissing reports of congestion.
Residents have, however, described Mr Gwindi’s remarks as a classic case of sheer ignorance lacking maturity in dealing with crucial matters affecting residents.
However, congestion at the ranks has cascaded into various unfortunate incidents leading to the tragic loss of human life.
The authorities could be applauded for deploying details to try and co-ordinate activities at the ranks, this has failed to effectively control the large volumes of kombis flooding the few ranks.
The police have also been accused of using excessive force including smashing windscreens and rear view mirrors with batons. There are also allegations that the police solicit for bribes from the rank marshals leading to the proliferation of unregistered and unroadworthy vehicles.
The unfortunate kombi drivers who have suffered the wrath of the baton-wielding police have resorted to unorthodox means to avoid arrest or have their vehicles damaged.
Pedestrians have also fallen victim.
One such incident is the death of Enifa Fourpence who fell from fleeing kombi as she was disembarking from the vehicle.
There are other undocumented accidents that have occurred at the city ranks with pedestrians falling victim to fleeing kombis while other motorists have also been involved.
The incidents involving police details and kombi crews have raised questions on what practical measures could be implemented to decongest the city and safeguard human life. The public blames the authorities for the havoc at the city ranks.
Police national spokesperson Senior Assistant Commissioner Charity Charamba said it was against the law for police officers to smash windscreens.
“The ZRP does not condone such behaviour and has no policy with regards to hitting windscreens and rear mirrors.
“Any officer caught smashing windscreens is subject to a police disciplinary hearing.
“We urge members of the public to report such behaviour to our complaints desk on the following Harare number: 04703631.”
The National Traffic Safety Board has also called on commuters to shun kombis with smashed windscreens.
Meanwhile, municipal police have also been blamed for the accidents especially when they throw spikes at the fleeing kombis leading to questions on whether city authorities value life.
On Saturday last week, a kombi overturned and injured 12 passengers after municipal police threw spikes as the driver tried to evade arrest. A mob unfortunately meted instant justice on the details. The kombi drivers have also come under fire for failing to heed traffic laws as they end up trying to flee from authorities endangering their passengers and pedestrians.
Urban Commuter Operators’ of Zimbabwe president Mr Simba Ngarande, however, believes there are better ways to solve this problem than the use of spikes on motorists.
“The authorities should desist from using excessive force as they risk endangering the lives of people in the vehicles.
“We should come up with sustainable solutions to the problems bedevilling public transport systems,” he said.
Ms Edith Mutuza had no kind words for both the authorities and the commuter omnibus operators.
“The police’s barbaric actions of smashing windscreens are endangering human life.”
She was speaking soon after a pedestrian was hit and run over yesterday morning in yet another accident along Cameron Street as a kombi driver tried to flee from the police. People feel the police are just applying the panacea to the sordid through their actions.
“We were relieved when authorities launched their campaign to bring sanity to the city ranks especially their indications to introduce holding bays for the kombis outside the city, but we wonder what happened to the plan.
“We expect Government to intervene as more lives would be lost due to negligence from the drivers and unwarranted force used by the police,” Mabvuku resident Chris Chiduku said.
The resident also called on for more action against rank marshals and touts.
“We have read in the newspapers on the crackdown on touts, but what happens to their leaders known as Mandimbandimba?
“We expect the city fathers to find a solution. The city fathers should desist from neglecting the needs of the citizens of Harare.
University of Zimbabwe senior lecturer in the Rural and Urban Planning Department Mr Innocent Chirisa said the problem of congestion in the city was complex.
“The issue involves social, economic, political and physical factors.”
He said congestion was a long-term problem that needed a long-term solution.
“Unless we involve technology in both, our road system and law enforcement, the tragic congestion will continue to be a menacing reality.
“We should take into cognisance the way Cairo in Egypt has solved traffic congestion by introducing tower bridges.”
He said the introduction of closed circuit television has assisted in restricting social deviants that park along the road and reduce space for other vehicles.
Town planner Mr Percy Toriro, in a recent interview, bemoaned the lack of additional parking space in the Central Business District in the last 30 years.
“The system we were using was designed for Zupco and Zimbabwe Express Motorways and planners did not foresee any other player coming into the transport system thus the need to rethink.
“However, as with any good plan the introduction of any new system requires a lot of planning.
“I am not sure of the City of Harare’s state of preparedness, how much they have consulted other stakeholders who are owners, the public and even other professionals to assist with ideas,” said Mr Toriro.
He emphasised that an exercise of such a magnitude requires a multi-stakeholder approach.
“The city needs the buy-in of different stakeholders and should also put infrastructure in place.
“This infrastructure includes bays, communication systems and any other services that will go with the system.
“Without this, the public can be inconvenienced. I do not encourage a system with a stop-start approach as commuters will lose confidence in it,” added Mr Toriro.
He also suggested a new integrated transport system which can be linked to a functional rail system.
“What we now need is a new strategy that encourages larger carriers of public commuters. These can be in the form of 36-seater buses, or even train buses that were once introduced.
“Another example of a good transport network we can learn from is Park Station in Johannesburg, which has an efficient service. At this station, commuters can board trains on the ground level and buses on the upper level in one place,” he said.
The chaos at the city ranks has forced many commuters to abandon the designated pick- up points. Commuter omnibus operators have also increased fares during peak hours causing more anarchy.
The authorities have also been urged to bring to justice the “rank mafia” continuously agitating for a 100 percent increase in kombi fares.
“Unless the marauding touts are seriously dealt with the congested ranks will be extremely difficult to put the situation under control.
“It is not a matter of how many kombis are servicing the city without proper documentation, but what is delaying kombis out of the ranks in this case.”
The police should come out of their shells and deal with the problem once and for all. The commuters should also avoid engaging in acts reminiscent of hooliganism as they board the transport and causing chaos during peak hours.
Government should enact stiffer penalties and fines for touts who contravene Section 40 of the Road Motor Transportation Act 1:97 as a measure to reduce congestion.
Unless the congestion is effectively addressed people will continue to be at risk from the fleeing kombis.
It takes collective thinking from all citizens to work and find a solution to the scourge bedevilling the city.
Everyone has a duty and responsibility to ensure the people’s safety.
The city council, police, commuters and the general public must work hand-in-glove to overcome this social obstacle to rid the ranks of such ills.
Online Reporter