Urban road traffic congestion: The influence of inflexible work schedules and land use design on traffic congestion in Kigali city, Rwanda

Travel demand is still poorly managed in Kigali city. The other researches that were done on traffic congestion in Kigali city aimed to regulate the supply side of the problem. However, this study aims to regulate the demand side of traffic congestion on Kimironko- CBD, Nyanza Kicukiro- CBD, and Gisozi- CBD roads in Kigali city where inflexibility of work schedules and land use design were presented as the main issues leading to traffic congestion. Most of the workers in Kigali city start and end their work at the same time which means that their departure time is fixed. Additionally, most workers do not change the location of their workplaces which means that their commuting distance is fixed. The inflexibility of work schedules in terms of where and when to start work in Kigali city increase the travel time of workers which worsens the level of service in the roads. Based on land use design of Kigali city, there is not enough mixed land use of workplaces with the residential area which attracts workers to work in other places particularly in the CBD rather than their residential areas. Connectivity is another cause of traffic congestion because the road width is small where the number of vehicles exceeds the capacity of roads during peak-period.

The main objective of this research is to provide knowledge that will be beneficial in regulating the demand side of traffic congestion in Kigali city by explaining how inflexible work schedules and land use design influence traffic congestion in terms of travel time and level of service. The study was mainly explanatory and used a mixed method where both quantitative and qualitative methods were used. The data was collected using questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, ArcGIS pro, and secondary data for triangulation.

The statistical results of the study did not show any strong correlation between the independent variables and the dependent variables because of the limited number of respondents that undermined the relationships and the questionnaire data collected represented peak-period only hence social-economic variables did not show any relationship with travel time as proved by other empirical studies. However, using the data from interviews, questionnaires, ArcGIS Pro and secondary data, the study shows that there is a significant relationship between inflexible work schedules, land use design and traffic congestion where departure time choice, commuting distance, land use mix, and connectivity has influenced significantly travel time and level of service. All the 3 roads under study are congested where Gisozi-CBD road is the most congested and Kicukiro-CBD road is the least congested.

This study supports the view that traffic congestion can not only be regulated by focussing on the supply side of traffic congestion but balancing both the demand and supply side of the problem. However, travel demand management that aims to reduce unnecessary trips is the pillar to achieve sustainable mobility which focuses on the movement of people rather than the movement of cars. It is recommended under this study that the transportation sector in Kigali collaborates with the Ministry of workers, Ministry of health, urban planners, and the other relevant sectors to alleviate traffic congestion and its impact in Kigali city. The study also recommended that the other empirical research that focuses on travel demand management can be conducted in Kigali city since there is a gap in the literature about the topic.