JK lashes at inertia in Dar city

By 1914 Dar es Salaam and the surrounding province had a population of 166,000, among them 1,050 Europeans, 1,000 of them Germans. In all of the east African protectorate were 3,579 Germans. In its own right, Dar es Salaam became the showcase city of all of tropical Africa.



Daily News; Thursday,January 29, 2009 @21:15

Jakaya Kikwete has blasted authorities in Dar es Salaam Region for irresponsibility and inertia, saying this left the country’s commercial capital poorly planned, dirty and dangerous. There was corruption in land surveying and allocation of plots, resulting in haphazard construction of houses and encroachment on open spaces, he said.

Mr Kikwete was addressing Dar es Salaam councillors at a dinner they hosted on Wednesday to celebrate achievements of the Fourth Phase Government. He said he was not happy with the state of the city, which is currently characterized with poorly planned construction of high rise buildings.

Garbage was piled up on city streets and the authorities should urgently take measures to make the city clean, he directed. Mr Kikwete lamented that high rise buildings mushrooming in the Central Business District lacked proper drainage, water supply and access routes.

He said congestion in the city could easily be avoided by construction of fly-overs and satellite towns. He told the councillors that the government wanted Dar es Salaam turned into a world-class commercial centre, tourist hub and conference venue.

Earlier, councillors told the president that the city needed about 120 vehicles, 15 tractors, 120 trailers and six bulldozers for speedy and professional collection of garbage.
They said 5bn/- was needed to finalise construction of a modern sanitary landfill at Pugu outskirt. “We ask for the banks to issue soft loans for buying equipment for collection of garbage,” said councilor Ahmed Mwilima, who noted that current capacity could handle only half of the 3,350 tonnes of garbage generated daily.

South Miami Busway gets visit from Tanzanian transit group

A transit group from Tanzania tours the South Miami-Dade Busway to get ideas for building a similar roadway in its largest city.

Miami Herald Staff Report

The South Miami-Dade Busway is so well-regarded that an African delegation flew thousands of miles to view it to see how they can build a similar system to help relieve traffic congestion on their streets.

A group of transit officials from Tanzania in east Africa toured the South Miami-Dade Busway to get a firsthand look at the popular Miami-Dade bus rapid transit system.

A welcoming committee of Miami-Dade Transit officials shared information with representatives from the DAR Rapid Transit Agency in Tanzania before taking them on a guided tour of the Busway.

The 20-mile stretch of the Busway is the United States' longest bus rapid transit line.

Tanzania's transit agency is planning a similar bus rapid transit system in Dar es Salaam, the country's largest city.

With a population of about 3 million and a woefully underdeveloped infrastructure, Dar es Salaam suffers from severe traffic congestion that can take hours to clear.

''It's a very serious problem, which is why we need to think of alternative systems, not only for the economy but for public health to reduce smog from emissions,'' DAR Chief Executive Cosmas P. M. Takule said.

DAR's planned bus rapid transit network calls for a privately operated system of dedicated bus lanes along the city's main arteries to be completed in six phases beginning next year.

''Tanzania has very few resources to provide mass transit, but they are struggling with traffic gridlock that is causing extreme economic hardship,'' Commissioner Katy Sorenson said after meeting with the African delegation.

''A system similar to our Busway, where dedicated transit lanes can connect the city's residents to jobs at the port of Dar es Salaam, will be a great improvement in the quality of life there,'' she added.

Miami-Dade Transit Director Harpal Kapoor said his agency was glad to help out the Tanzanians and flattered by the recognition.

''The fact that they wanted to see our system up close is a testament to the world-class reputation our Busway enjoys,'' Kapoor said.

Source: http://www.miamiherald.com/news/miami-dade/communities/south/story/857765.html