Minister decries poor planning in cities

Minister of Transport and Public Works Jacob Hara has bemoaned poor planning of infrastructure and roads in the country’s cities, as it is affecting expansion drive and aesthetics.

Speaking after touring Mzuzu City roads project, he noted that the city is on track in constructing bypass roads on the M1 and M5 that will decongest traffic in the central business district (CBD).

Hara, however, decried poor planning in the projects, citing encroachment of the road reserves.

“The r e i s pl ent y of encroachment on the road reserves. People need to be 30 metres away from the centreline of the main road. But that is not the case. People are building anyhow in this city. And that is unacceptable,” he said.

The minister said the main roads also need to have service roads parallel to them to ensure that “people don’t drive from the main road into their houses or shops”.

He said: “An ideal situation is that motorists must first get into the service lane and then to the shops. That keeps traffic flowing on the main road without causing congestion.”

On maintenance of the roads after construction, Hara advised city councils to consider putting in place toll gates within their city boundaries as a source of revenue.

He said, overall, the government plans to put in place 20 tollgates across the country in the next five years to boost revenue and help maintain the roads.

Mzuzu City Council chief executive officer Gomezgani Nyasulu said they have come up with an Urban Structure Plan to guide any development taking place in the city.

Mzuzu City Council has received over K11 billion from the Roads Fund Administration since 2016/17 to construct and upgrade the roads and bridges. In the 2022/23 budget, about K4.7 billion has been allocated to upgrade five roads covering a 9.9 kilometres.

So far, RFA has spent over K60 billion on the roads project in the four cities of the country.