NMT strategy to benefit many: Amadhila

WINDHOEK, 22 JUN – The City of Windhoek (CoW) is developing a Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) Strategy as part of the public transport services, planned to commence in 2019 in the Central Business District, provided funds are available.
This was revealed by CoW spokesperson, Lydia Amutenya, in an interview with Nampa on Tuesday, who emphasised that the project plans are far advanced and the draft strategy is currently under review.
Amutenya said the strategy will focus on improving and establishing a NMT network, primarily addressing pedestrians and bicycling.
Organisations of people living with disabilities last month during the National Disabilities Workshop said their people, especially the visually impaired, are generally not considered in the city. One aspect is the lack of sound devices at robots to alert them to proceed or not.
However, Amutenya believes that the strategy will not only benefit people living with disabilities, but all road users, particularly pregnant women, scholars and young children.
“The universal access strategy will include dropped kerbs and pedestrian crossings where required and intersections will have signals with pedestrian push-buttons.”
Amutenya added that due to cost implications, tactile paving and vibro-tactile pedestrian push-buttons are only recommended in the CBD.
The focus will be around public transport stops and NMT routes in the CBD and the implementation of the first phase of the traffic changes will likely happen in the 2019/2020 financial year.
The NMT strategy is a collaboration between CoW and Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit Gmbh (GIZ).
(NAMPA)