THE capital city’s failed attempt at establishing functional bicycle lanes – conspicuous by the remnants of broken cones along the road –  is being reviewed as the City of Windhoek intends to replace the botched system with a more robust but still cost-effective alternative. 

Meanwhile, Horst Heimstädt of the Namibia Road Safety Forum stated the City “deceived” the population with the failed cycle lane, saying the project was a waste of money and was designed by somebody who has never cycled.

The current bicycle lane system, which was demarcated by traffic cones bolted into the tarmac, has been described as “ineffective” by cyclists and as a “waste” of resources by motorists. 

Windhoek’s bicycle lanes project was fully funded to the tune of more than N$1.5 million by the German Development Cooperation, with no cost to the City. After installation, a total of 230 traffic cones have been replaced to date, costing more than N$78 000. 

“These costs were fully covered by the contractor as part of the correction of contractual defects, so no additional expenses have been incurred by the City of Windhoek on maintenance so far,” stated City spokesperson Lydia Amutenya. 

In response to New Era queries, Amutenya explained that the City has a broader objective to promote cycling as an accessible mode of transport for most residents who may not have motor vehicles. 

“To support this goal, feasibility studies are currently underway. Various options are being considered and tested on-site. The future costs will be determined once a decision is made, following the completion of the project’s cost-benefit analysis,” Amutenya added. 

Windhoek’s cycling lanes were initially implemented as part of an international award won by the City to promote active mobility. In this regard, a project was launched to provide a mix of e-bikes and traditional bicycles to enhance the mobility of students at the Namibia University of Science and Technology (NUST). 

However, a key challenge identified was the lack of infrastructure to facilitate safe cycling in Windhoek.

“In response, an initiative inspired by similar projects in other countries was launched to establish a bicycle lane connecting the north-western areas to the Nust main campus. One of the primary goals was to implement this project at a lower cost than conventional separated lanes, without compromising safety. This project, implemented in partnership with and funded by the Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ) Namibia as part of a sustainable mobility initiative, aimed to ensure safe, convenient, and comfortable access for students commuting between the University of Namibia (Unam) Khomasdal campus and the Nust main campus. The initiative is designed to enhance cyclists’ safety and promote sustainable transportation within the city,” Amutenya explained. 

In leveraging synergies, the cycling lanes established for use by students was identified as a pilot project towards the bigger objective of launching future cycling lanes across the city. Red traffic cones were used to enhance the visibility of the cycle lanes and increase awareness among motorists. Unfortunately, and as cycling lanes are a new feature in Windhoek, motorists are yet to get accustomed to sharing road space with more vulnerable users, resulting in frequent damage to the traffic cones, she added. 

Road safety 

Responding to New Era questions, Heimstädt noted the cycle lanes are unsafe for cyclists. This, he stated is because globally, it has been established that the most effective solution is to separate people and bicycles from cars. 

“Any avid cyclist will agree that the most dangerous situation for a cyclist in traffic is to switch from a pavement to a street. The cycle lane does it all the time,” Heimstädt stated. 

He added: “Design roads with people in mind. Currently, roads are designed for cars with people as secondary users. This needs to change. Roughly 36% of all accidents resulting in injuries and fatalities involve pedestrians. Yet, if a road is designed, it is designed for cars. A cycle or walking path should have no obstacles such as road signs or trees in it. Roads that are used by cars do not have such obstacles. The argument is that there is a lack of funds, however, there is sufficient funds to build a road for cars in an area that is predominantly used by pedestrians and cyclists.”

Heimstädt remains adamant that the award-winning Sustainable Urban Mobility Plan and the Non-Motorised Transport Strategy of Windhoek have deceived the citizens of the city, as they are not implementable. 

“People need to be taught what safe, sustainable, equitable; mobility is all about before we can expect changes to happen. It took us many years to design infrastructure for cars, only to realise that we are killing people in the process and need to change our thinking by designing infrastructure for people,” Heimstädt added. 

He continued: “The sad part is that in most cases, the designers have never lived or have forgotten what it feels like to live in low-income areas. For them, a road is for cars and people must take note of the cars. In a low and no-income area, more than 90% of the people are forced to walk. Due to the design culture, these people are exposed to extreme danger the moment they start walking. Furthermore, all road users walk at one or other point during their commute. Whether it is walking to the car or walking from the parking area to the shop”.  

From a driver’s perspective, one concerned motorist said he doesn’t think any real thought went into establishing Windhoek’s cycle lanes. 

“The cones were a waste of money. Our roads are not set up to allow for cycling lanes. A lady was here to do that survey for the city. I told her that instead of cycling lanes, why don’t they address the bottlenecks that every motorist coming and going to Rocky Crest, and Otjomuise via the Daan Viljoen Road has to endure every single day. They need to get their priorities straight,” said the motorist. 

Another driver commented: “I think it’s a waste of money. They are causing a hazard for drivers. Now so many of the cones are broken and are just left like that. Why not just paint cycling lanes?” another driver asked.

 – ebrandt@nepc.com.na