Africa-Press – Eswatini. In 2016, 12 people died in a traffic jam that stretched for over 20 kilometres in Indonesia. In November of the year before, Kenya had a traffic jam of extraordinary proportions as well, much like the Ramadan-induced chaos in Indonesia. Both traffic jams were similar in that they lasted for three days (and you thought Matsapha traffic was bad); but differences were noted in how they came to occur. The Kenyan nightmare was caused by heavy rains that toppled an already failing road infrastructure; whereas, in the most populous majority Muslim country, it was the annual mass migrations to celebrate Eid after the holy month that slowed traffic to a halt. Some of the 12 who died in Indonesia were of exhaustion, but no deaths were reported in the Mombasa-Nairobi Highway ‘super’ jam.
Struggled
In any case, nobody wants to be stuck in traffic for three days without food or a decent venue to answer nature’s call. Kenya’s traffic woes are well documented. Nairobi has struggled to keep up with its own development. The transport system is in the ‘pits’. The city has the region’s second fastest growing economy, but its roads are the fourth most congested, according to a ‘Commuter Pain’ survey conducted by IBM in 2011. I saw a different list where Kenyan traffic appeared in the top five again, this time at the global stage compared to Hong Kong and Indian traffic – the big daddies of congestion. The average daily commute is 1 hour 20 minutes in Nairobi. Bloomberg estimates that traffic jams in the Kenyan capital cost the city roughly E9 million a day in lost productivity. If Kenya could figure out its traffic situation, it would save enough to buy 126 BMW escorts… twice a month.
Studies
Commuting between home and work is routinely performed by workers all over the world. Countless studies have been conducted on how long commutes affect subjective well-being, if at all; and countless more on the relationship between commutes and economic activity. Commutes affect commuters on three fronts: (i) during the journey; (ii) immediately after the journey; and (iii) over the longer term. An assessment completed last year by the international transport review journal revealed that mood is generally lower during a commute than in any other activity of the day. That is a telling statistic considering that you’re commuting to a work desk – the cradle of fresh stress. On the motorway, stress can be induced by congestion, crowding and the unpredictability of learner drivers – aren’t they just the worst? If you have not figured out how to keep your engine running, why are you on the road?
Effects
Transport systems and different forms of travel behaviour have effects on well-being. For example, those who travel by car report lower levels of commute-related stress than those who use public transport. Furthermore, stress increases as the duration of travel increases. In a study, Ben Clark found that longer commute times were associated with lower job and leisure time satisfaction, increased strain and poorer mental health. I believe we ought to do something. We could attempt to find a better balance between the negative aspects of commuting and the wider benefits thereof, eg access to employment, earnings and housing; or we could scrap the commute all together – how would you like to work from home? The absence of the commute, via working from home, is associated with increased job satisfaction and leisure time satisfaction. Well, there you go.
For More News And Analysis About Eswatini Follow Africa-Press
