February marked the official test run of the Addis Abeba Light Rail Transit (LRT). Bringing onboard the country’s leaders and public figures, it has boosted morale and sprinkled some hope in a city marred with traffic congestion and transportation nightmares.
Expectedly, many have expressed their delight on the commencement of the three month long LRT test run. For residents of Addis Abeba, the month of May cannot come fast enough.
The anticipation alone has been a painful experience for residents. For the past two years, an already poor transportation infrastructure was made even worse by the LRT project. But the residents welcomed it with patience. They remain optimist that the 34.4Km long Light Rail with a capacity to transport up to 60,000 people an hour will solve a lot of their problems.
Unfortunately, a fast and smooth LRT transportation services is not without its caveats. The irony is , on the flipside of the LRT anticipation and excitement, there are safety concerns, business disruptions and daily inconveniences brought by the LRT itself.
The fenced rail does not provide adequate surface or underground passages. The turn arounds and over or under passes are very limited and too far from one another for pedestrians and motorists alike. In a sense, it literally segregates communities and disrupts business transactions.
It even makes one wonder how those involved on the designing of the LRT missed these things. It seems designers were cutting corners.
Cognisant of the transportation challenges in Africa’s political hub, it almost forbids one from voicing against a speedy implementation of the LRT. However, where there is public safety concerns, we must care enough to say it as it is because the safety of our people is worth it.
Not too long ago, some of the LRT staff were informed that the grid system that is supposed to supply the LRT with the electric power might not be ready for all lines for few more months. Should that be the case, rather than delaying the service commencement date, they plan to run them on fuel.
Previous reports had stated that the infrequent power cuts the city experiences would not affect the LRT. The LRT was supposed to have its own dedicated power supply through a grid system.
Knowing Ethiopian electric services, however, this will likely surprise no one. Furthermore, there is complaint that those who will be responsible in monitoring the cars from the control stations will be working in substandard workspaces. A dozen or so packed all together in a small room.
Why not delay the service until it is fully ready?
My speculation is that, it is democracy’s fault. As former UK Prime Minister Winston Churchill once said, “Indeed it has been said that democracy is the worst form of government except for all those other forms that have been tried from time to time.” The problem with democracy is that politicians and their immediate advisors spend as much time strategising how to manipulate public perception just as much as they spend their time drafting and implementing laws on behalf of the public.
Democratic systems often see projects being patched up in hurry at the turn of an election to fulfill previous campaign promises. That way, politicians can say, “we accomplished this and that”.
Luckily, for them, it often works; these projects remain fresh on voter’s minds. Yes, one may hope that this is not the case with the LRT project. But it can not all be that coincidence the project is so set to start providing services right before the upcoming Ethiopian election.
From the start, I personally think it seems it was a shortsighted project. There is a phrase that business leaders always say, ‘don’t reinvent the wheel’. During the space race in the 1960s between the US and Russia, America’s space station, NASA, was said to have spent millions trying to develop a pen that would work in space in the absence of gravity. The Russians, on the other hand, used just the old good fashioned pencil. The moral of the story is that, common sense suggests if a similar project has been implemented already elsewhere, replicate its best functionalities and learn from its failures.
With that in mind, it would have made sense for the Addis Light Rail to have been designed underground as much as possible. Of course, in the short run, it would have been more expensive and would have taken longer to complete, but in the long run, it would have been cheaper, safer and certainly efficient.
Whether we like it or not, accidents are bound to happen anywhere. When they do happen, above ground railways account for much more accident fatalities than underground railways. Hence, it would have been much wiser decision to take the long-term view and build the Light Rail underground especially in high-density areas of the city. As it is now, more than 97pc of the 31km Addis light rail is above ground.
Although it could have been done better, make no mistake it is still a great achievement for Ethiopia. The LRT will make huge difference in improving public transportation problems.
Many are anxious and hopeful for the long awaited service. All 41 cars going in four directions of the city will soon be overcapacity. We hope our leaders understand public safety is too important, and we hope no one will have the audacity to compromise it for election deadlines.
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