ICT and COMPRAM to assess road Traffic Congestion Management in Kinshasa

Abstract

Traffic Congestion Management (TCM) in a megacity like Kinshasa, capital of the DR Congo, is a knowledge and real life problem of complex nature. Here, the authors describe the TCM problem through 9 phases of the layer 1 of the COMPRAM methodology. TCM is a worldwide complex societal problem and specifically in Kinshasa where it presents a set of characteristics such as ‘chaotic’ driver behaviour, road potholes and the road network physiognomy doesn't respond to the supply-versus demand-side equation. The other complex problems include the absence of road planning with consideration to demographic parameters and car ownership increase, no suitable traffic operations infrastructure and limited funds for both maintaining existing roads and building additional ones. To solve this TCM problem, the authors propose a TTCMP (Triangular Traffic Congestion Management Process) framework as an output based layer 1 of COMPRAM by identifying types and sources of congestion, followed by a TCM problem description and a set of technical elements for ‘curbing’ traffic congestion with an overview on a Bluetooth based technology for traffic data collection as an adapted ICT4D solution for a low-income city like Kinshasa.