Key decisions in UNRA's overhaul of Nkumba traffic intersection

The roads authority says it carried out deeper investigations to understand why motorists were failing to navigate the intersection

The Uganda National Roads Authority (UNRA) on Tuesday threw the spanners into the Nkumba traffic intersection with interim measures to enhance traffic flow and improve safety for road users.

The decision, the Nile Post can reveal, goes back to April following the horrifying crash in which Kyenjojo Grade I Magistrate Faith Irene Kwagala lost her husband, Raphael Okiot, when a concrete mixer failed to stop on red lights and overturned on his vehicle.

A spate of crashes at the intersection followed, including last week when several students and a teacher from Trust Infant Primary School in Nakaseke District were injured in a minibus.

On Tuesday, UNRA spokesperson Allan Ssempebwa said they had conducted a thorough technical inspection of the area to implement measures aimed at preventing future crashes.

"Starting today, we will introduce interim safety measures to enhance traffic flow and improve safety for all road users," he said in a statement.

Mr Ssempebwa said the current setup includes two traffic signals positioned approximately 100 metres apart, operating on different cycles.

"This configuration has been identified as a safety risk as motorists are more likely to see the second traffic signal before the first one," he said.

The detail

Following the fatal incident in April, UNRA on April 20 dived into a stakeholder engagement with the Traffic Police on site and also picked crash data for assessment.

In seeking to overhaul the flow of traffic at the junction, UNRA also picked views from locals along the section, motorists and other road users to understand their concerns.

"This guided the interim response we’re implementing now," Mr Ssempebwa told the Nile Post.

The data collected was assessed per the Ministry of Works and Transport road safety manual, according to a report on the Nkumba traffic junction assessement seen by this publication.

"Our investigations from road users, locals and the traffic police pointed to among other factors that some drivers were unable to see the first set of traffic lights and some would abruptly stop at the sight of them, causing crashes at this point."

He added that assessment of data led to a conclusion that motorists were able to see the second set of the traffic lights, which the engineers have decided to leave intact in the interim response that was implemented today.

The first set of traffic signals on the Kampala side will be removed, and the median opening will be closed with jersey barriers as a temporary solution to mitigate the risk of accidents.

The changes, effective immediately, will prevent vehicles from Kampala turning at this location, redirecting right-turning traffic to the next junction with traffic lights.

Motorists from Entebbe heading to Nkumba University will need to proceed to the Mpala interchange, turn around, and return to Nkumba.

“Long-term safety improvements include the proposed construction of a footbridge to ensure safe pedestrian crossing without interfering with vehicular traffic flow,” Mr Ssempebwa, who noted that the decision was implemented only after Traffic Police had been informed and stationed to take charge.

In the UNRA and Traffic Police-backed report, Police at Entebbe indicated it had registered a total of six deaths at the intersection over a period of four years.

The purpose of the inspection was to identify the safety risks so that measures can be put in place to prevent similar occurrences of the crashes in future.

In the report, the inspection established the following:

• Two closely spaced traffic signals (approximately 100m apart) operate with different phases. The positioning of the signal heads causes motorists in the inner lane to see the second head before the first one.
• The approach speed to the Traffic Signals is high (over 50km/hr). This section immediately follows the exit from the expressway, where the speed limit is 100 kph.
• Positioned after a crest, the first set of traffic signals presents a short sight-stopping distance for vehicles traveling at speeds exceeding 50 km/hr.
• The markings on pedestrian crossings have become faint or worn-out.
• Negotiating U-turns is challenging, particularly for long vehicles that cannot complete the turn without reversing.
• Right-turning traffic lacks dedicated protection.
• An advertising signboard is positioned beyond the first traffic signal, potentially diverting motorists' attention while waiting at the lights.