Street conversions into one-ways begin Sunday

were approved in 1994 and lack of funding has been stalling the project. The measure is meant to reduce congestion while allowing free flow of human and vehicular traffic.
Six roads are earmarked for conversion into one–ways.
On Sunday the city begins the conversion of South Avenue into a one way street with traffic flowing east-wards from Angwa Street to Wynne Street.
Inez Terrace will be converted so that traffic on the road flows in a southerly direction from Nelson Mandela Avenue to Kenneth Kaunda Avenue.
The other roads will be done in phases with traffic on the whole of Robert Mugabe Road flowing east-wards from Rotten Row up to the intersection with Fourth Street.
The third phase will see traffic on Leopold Takawira flowing in a northerly direction from Charter Road to Samora Machel Avenue, while that on Chinhoyi Street will flow in a southerly direction from Samora Machel to Charter Road.
The pedestrian malls were approved in 1994 when the city designed its transport master plan.
Harare has two pedestrian malls First Street and the stretch of Speke Ave from the corner of Inez Terrace to Julius Nyerere Way and from Rezende Street to Cameron Street.
The additional pedestrian malls are planned on the stretches of George Silundika from Sam Nujoma to the Main Post Office, Inez Terrace to Speke Avenue, the stretch from Speke Avenue to Rezende Street and the whole of Rezende Street to Bank Street and from Bank Street to Market Square.
The master plan entailed the conversion of some roads into one-ways and others into pedestrian malls. Vehicular traffic will not be permitted on the pedestrian malls.
The conversion is expected to be a boon for business as people will have ample time to walk around without disturbances from vehicles.
City urban planning services director, Mr Psychology Chiwanga, yesterday said Harare had good transport plans that could not be implemented because of financial constraints.
“We have identified those roads as the major corridors of pedestrian flow. However, certain assumptions were made at that           time.
“It was anticipated there would be a reasonable mass bus transit, which would allow certain CBD pick (up) and drop (off) points between Market Square and Fourth Street,” he said.
He said restaurants, cafes and coffee shops have been planned for the George Silundika pedestrian mall.
Mr Chiwanga said the city did not have money to erect raised motorways to curb congestion at major intersections.
However, the plans and drawings are available but cannot be implemented due to funding problems.