Edwin, Very good points. I would say we need a working planned infrastructure with sufficient capacity to handle traffic needs, the discipline of drivers and law enforcement, useful information (much of which you outline) and more. I also think we can ease congestion using technology: have more telecommuting where people work close to where they live instead of enduring the jams, indiscipline on the roads, etc. It would be good for our stress levels and hearts. (Here is what I said to a delegation from Metropolitan Nairobi that came looking for ideas; they have never followed up on their promises. I guess they are waiting for some donor to fund the initiative.) BTW: much of what you have indicated is subject to a discussion held by some colleagues with people at OP; I am told that the leading interest is CCTV and border surveillance; see where the priorities are. One last comment: for good happen, one needs leadership that has clear goals and drives persistently to achieve those goals. The improvement of traffic condition under Michuki was deliberate and persistent. Regards ---------------- Message: 2 Date: Mon, 7 Feb 2011 22:34:03 +0300 From: "Edwin Onchari" <eonchari@lynxbits.com> To: <andrea.bohnstedt@ratio-magazine.com> Cc: 'KICTAnet ICT Policy Discussions' <kictanet@lists.kictanet.or.ke> Subject: Re: [kictanet] Bringing Sanity Back to our Roads Message-ID: <001401cbc6fe$01ffdf50$05ff9df0$@com> Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Matunda/all, The European & American system works very well. For this to work, I suggest the following to take place at the new County levels: 1. Digitize all driving records in the county, and register drivers based on their county of residence and to link the driver record to traffic offenses (point system for drunk driving, speeding, and any other traffic violations) 2. The digitized licenses should hold such information as a requirement to wear glasses when driving, etc 3. Provide a platform, and requisite training for traffic police to log and tag traffic offenses (real-time) to a central county database which the insurance companies can reference before renewing the drivers insurance policy. 4. Register vehicles (tags-number plates) based on the county of residence of the vehicle owner against the owners drivers license, renewable yearly (even through in an emissions test program-we'll all breathe easier and rid of jalopies) 5. Like Andrea has stated, dedicate lanes for trucks, high occupancy vehicles, etc 6. Implement a functional highway patrol department , that warn motorists of broken down vehicles, tow them away at a fee, rescue stranded motorists at a fee, etc (more revenue for the county) 7. With all the above in place, employ technology like red-light cameras that automatically takes a photo of the vehicle tags whenever you jump a light, and attach this to the vehicle records, and by default the primary registered driver of the vehicle, and the next time they try to renew, they be forced to pay the fines from their many offenses. 8. Tag the DL to a national ID/PP so that the sneaky drivers do not change licenses/names after causing carnage in another county However, for the above to work, the county then must provide the requisite infrastructure (proper highway lighting, driver information centers, annual driver license evaluation and renewal centers without extensive queues) My 2 cents Edwin Best Regards, Edwin M Onchari 0720755951 eonchari@lynxbits.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Matunda Nyanchama, PhD, CISSP; mnyanchama@aganoconsulting.com Agano Consulting Inc.; www.aganoconsulting.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Be prepared to face ICT Security failures & know how to respond when they happen! Call: +1-888-587-1150 or info@aganoconsulting.com ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- "A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk I have a workstation…" - Anonymous ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- This e-mail, including attachments, may be privileged and may contain confidential or proprietary information intended only for the addressee(s). Any other distribution, copying, use, or disclosure is unauthorized and strictly prohibited. If you have received this message in error, please notify the sender immediately by reply e-mail and permanently delete the message, including any attachments, without making a copy. Thank you.