Construction of phase 1 of a massive public bus transport project in Dar es Salaam, called Dar es Salaam Rapid Transit alias DART, has been completed and operational since May 10, 2016.
Overall, DART project aims at contributing to traffic decongestion in Dar es Salaam. It entails six phases totally 137 km, at an estimated cost of about US$ 5 million per kilometer. The project involves construction of among others, the following:
Exclusive/segregated bus lanes
18 bus terminals
228 bus stations
Pedestrian and cyclist over and under passes
Parking areas for both vehicles and bicycles
Feeder roads, and
Improvement of ordinary vehicular traffic lanes in the involved roads
DART project will introduce high capacity buses, each with combined sitting and standing places for up to 150 people. It is planned and designed to cater for all users including the disabled.
Construction of the now completed phase one of the project started in 2010, by a German firm, STRABAG International GmbH. This part of DART project is 20.9 km, and runs from the suburban settlement of Kimara in the northern end of the city, to Kivukoni Ferry in the city centre; along Morogoro Road, Kawawa Road, Msimbazi Street, Sokoine Drive, and Kivukoni Road.
Although DART project will provide a relief to commuters in Dar es Salaam when fully completed, we don't think, however, it can contain commuter transport problems in the city on its own, particularly in the long run. More will have to be done if the commuter transport problems in Dar es Salaam are to be resolved once and for all. That is because, for a city of Dar es Salaam size, 5.3 million inhabitants as of 2016 data by Tanzania's National Bureau of Statistics, only commuter, tram, and metro trains are realistic modes of public transport for delivering effective solution to commuters' transport needs.
DART is based on the transport planning concept called Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) that we believe, while could be relevant for medium size cities, it is irrelevant for mega cities like Dar es Salaam. There is no single single city in the world, with over 5 million inhabitants, that has managed to offer satisfactory public transport solution with buses as the primary mode of public transport! If nothing is done to change approach in dealing with the public transport problems in Dar es Salaam, the irrelevancy of BRT in the city will become vividly evident when the population of the city doubles in a few decades time. According to African Development Bank's projection, the population of the city is expected to be 21.4 million by 2052!
In cities with population of let say in modest terms, over 2 million, public bus transport should strictly be seen as providing secondary support to modern commuter, tram, and metro train transport. In this context, one could argue the over $300 million that have been made available by the government of Tanzania (from a loan from the World Bank) for ongoing construction of DART system, would technically give better results in resolving public transport problems in Dar es Salaam, if the funds were redirected to commuter, tram, and metro train systems. Phase 1 of DART project has been completed, but remaining phases could be revised to incorporate them as secondary schemes of a new commuter, tram, and metro train system project!
We will also like to point out that, the design of the various spatial structures within phase one of DART project has been very good technically. Aesthetically, however, we think this phase of the project leaves much to be desired. In particular, spatial structures for bus terminals and stations including pedestrian over passes, are too basic and simple. They lack adequate design creativity, hence without much aesthetic appeal. For example, classic solid concrete have been used for side walls of overpasses instead of let say steel and hardened plasticized glass that are more aesthetically pleasing and becoming increasingly popular in other countries. Furthermore, there seems to be repetitive architecture and design along the route covered by phase one, that tends to create monotony to an observer.
Aesthetic features of public transport terminals and stations are important because of the prime locations of such facilities in cities, as well as the facilities can become important centres of attraction to both local and foreign visitors and tourists. We therefore strongly recommend the government of Tanzania revisit phase one of DART project, and ensure proceeding phases of the project are not only technically sound, but aesthetically pleasing as well.
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