أرشيف الوسم: social

The people of Kuwait experienced an exceptional condition last Monday, the 27th of March, which was accompanied with heavy rain storm, where the networks failed to discharge. As a result, more than twenty locations on main roads closed, resulting in massive traffic jams. As a result, people were stuck in their cars for long periods, and the country appeared paralyzed.

Such a condition significantly impacted people’s state of mind. Some experienced anger, while others blamed official authorities and contractors. This wave eventually faded after a few days, and once the attention shifted to new issues and incidents, that attracted more attention.

We must realize that the deteriorating condition of the metropolitan area results from decades of wrong decisions and neglect. What we see today is only a symptom of a disease that is speeding slowly and which will bring more signs in the coming years if we don’t act urgently.

Despite the long legacy of planning expertise, the high spending on international consultants, and the availability of local competencies, our mobility in Kuwait could be better. Anyway, there is still a chance to improve the situation.

In this short article, I emphasize that the traffic congestion issue cannot be solved by just road expansion. Instead, we should examine other variants than a solution that resorts to regulations that tighten car ownership and licensing for expats.

From a planning point of view, the solutions are intuitive and are among the ABCs of work worldwide; they have been implemented in all leading cities and even within our neighboring region.

1. Our master planning must be balanced and create an even distribution of facilities, services, and employment. Without this strategy, people will spend more time on roads going from one place to other and adding pressure to the network.
2. We have to change our planning methodologies and seek to promote mix-used development in most neighborhoods. To create a mix between living, working and shopping. One of the leading causes of traffic congestion is emptying Kuwait City, the capital, of housing for low-income groups, despite their large number, which led them to move to the suburbs on the outskirt of the metropolitan area and compelled them to commute to the city daily.
3. More importantly, improving the public transport system and the provision of alternative modes that substitute private vehicles is essential. We need real public investment in public buses and actual improvement in their operation. We must provide alternatives such as large and small buses and introduce more routes covering the entire metropolitan area. Also, schools and universities must give collective transport for a fair percentage of their pupils. Decision-makers should understand that public transport is a service, not a mere commercial activity. The government should allocate sufficient funding at this stage, as it would reap social benefits and, eventually, economic returns.

The solutions are known and intuitive but require firm decisions based on sound technical advice. However, if we maintain the same course of action, our daily movement will be similar to what we experienced on the 27th of March.

We are back to the usual traffic congestion starting with the school year. Most people complain, some put forward suggestions and proposals to tackle the issue, and many blame the responsible road/traffic authorities. There have been calls upon the Ministry of Education to alternate official school day timings, in an effort to try and relieve the problem. However, others have suggested more radical solutions that call for a ban on issuing driving licenses for foreigners and preventing them from owning private cars! This scenario inevitably repeats every year without progress, change, or resolution.

One cannot deny the efforts made by the Ministry of Public Works, and the Public Authority of Roads and Transportation, who are responsible for the mega projects underway that are changing the face of Kuwait’s roadways; many of which are still in the design and/or construction phases. While we feel some improvement in terms of journey duration with each projects completion, the effect isn’t lasting and quickly returns to its previous, terrible state.

Of course, it is an undeniable truth that traffic congestion is a positive sign of growth, prosperity, and attractiveness in a city. According to the Central Agency of Statistics, the number of private cars had reached 2,300,000 at the end of 2019. At the same time, the total population reached 4,400,000, meaning that there is one vehicle for every two residents in Kuwait; a high percentage indeed. However, despite the vehicle numbers, the quality of mobility really depends on the metropolitan area.

It has become crucial to understand the negative effect of traffic congestion. Kuwait’s urban transport conditions are terrible, and is the result of years of neglect, alongside a series of arbitrary decisions that have led to the current urban environment situation. It also has a corresponding high economic cost; many commercial activities lose possible customers due to bad traffic. Also, there is a time cost to be considered with congestion, where most of the labor force endure daily delays that costs the economy more than 633 million KD per year.

Various studies confirm a direct relationship between the daily experience of traffic congestion, and the decline of mental health, such as high-stress levels, anxiety, and depression. Additionally, traffic congestion is considered among the leading causes of environmental pollution, both due to noise, and low air quality, which leads to various health threats.

We must realize that there are no magic solutions, and we won’t be able to improve the condition through more capital being spent on roads and bridges. We won’t achieve a sound urban environment without a willingness to change our lifestyle, and make some sacrifices. Thus, any corrective measures will not be readily accepted by the public, and would face significant opposition. The below set of recommendations is intended to guide decision-makers and those working in the urban development field:

• Review all urban planning policies, and re-evaluate our land use to achieve balanced distributions and more mixed land uses. This should reduce the need for mobility and the use of private vehicles.

• Invest in public transport; directly fund public bus networks to attract more users, and revive the metro project, despite economic unfeasibility. Also, re-evaluate the condition of taxis, and improve performance through the development of systems, standard types of vehicles, and mandatory driver standards.

• In parallel with the provision of public transport alternatives, introduce policies to reduce the use of private vehicles by increasing the cost of issuing licenses and registration fees, fuel prices, and parking fares, especially in commercial centers.

• There is no other country where all students go to school by private car, and no university in the world matches Kuwait’s for the number of students who own personal vehicles. It is crucial to impose collective transport on students, which would make a giant leap towards changing the culture of using public transport in the long run.

• Create residential neighborhoods with the necessary services to lower travel needs, and provide pedestrian networks and bike lanes. Introduce measures to limit speed and increase safety, to encourage youth and children’s walkability.

• Encourage working from home, in both public and private sectors, utilizing modern technology. The speedy activation of the small business license allows Kuwaitis to use home addresses for various businesses. At present this process still faces bureaucratic obstacles and regulations that fail to understand the programs value and the spirit of the time we live in.

These broad lines could create a significant shift in the urban environment of Kuwait, and ignite a cultural transformation. However, these will not succeed without specialists, and a credible team with a futuristic vision willing to face the prevailing views, to achieve a change for the public good and serve future generations.

Media platforms have circulated footage of the Kuwait Municipality team’s demolition of various illegal buildings, one of which belonged to an ex-member of the Kuwaiti Parliament. This news was well-received by the general public, and their reaction was consistent with the overall feeling of optimism for the well of reform. However, the question that needs to be asked at the beginning of this era is: why do some people choose to break the law in the first place? 

In some cases, a few individuals may choose to break the law intentionally with the aim of committing acts of aggression. On the other hand, some violate the law when the perceived inadequacy of the regulations does not seem to serve the public good and address people’s needs. 

The lack of trust in legislators and lawmakers may lead to a belief that regulations are not there to serve the public good, and consequently it encourages people to break them. Thus, building trust in lawmakers and taking care to promulgate logical laws with clear goals should lead to more compliance. 

Similarly, fairness and impartiality in law enforcement should be straightforward and reflect the principles of right and wrong, and give broader authority and resources to leaders to promote the spirit of the law. This will increase compliance with regulations and enhance the concept of citizenship, which in turn will drive further collaboration among the community to serve the public good. 

Among the causes of defiance is the feeling that violations are widespread, and that the state apparatus is tolerant of them. The spread of ugliness in the public realm is worsened by the existence of cracked sidewalks, broken signage, smashed trash bins, dead plantations, and other elements of the urban environment which give the impression that the public is being neglected, and their needs are not being taken into consideration. 

This phenomenon is confirmed through the ‘Broken Glass’ theory, founded in 1982 by two social scientists, James Q. Wilson, and George L. Kelling. The theory states that if one glass window is left unrepaired, it is to be expected that vandals will attempt to break other windows and may eventually break into the building and occupy it. The same goes for sidewalks, whereby if the litter is left unremoved it will encourage others to throw more rubbish down onto it, eventually leading to the accumulation of bagfuls of refuse. 

Thus, the strengthening of supervisory systems and the speedy accountability of violators will contribute to holding responsible those who would otherwise disrupt the law. To improve the city and to encourage law conformity, competent and honest leaders must be appointed to positions of public service, and a thorough review of laws and regulations is required to ensure they are fit for purpose and address current needs. This must include supporting field officers by equipping them with the authority and resources they require. To improve the public realm, we must fix the broken glass daily. 

One can sense a general feeling of optimism in Kuwait at the announcement of the intention to change and reform the government sector. This optimism is founded in the stated intent to replace some leaders in the government sector who have failed to perform and achieve tangible results. The other reason for optimism is the decision to investigate some allegations of corruption or failures to deliver.

However, for both the simple citizen and private businesses there are phenomena that deserve attention, and which could be considered key to future reform.  These are centralisation and the slow decision-making processes which result in a waste of effort and the loss of opportunities.

In previous years, in an attempt to battle corruption some leaders thought that complex processes and diminishing authority would necessarily lead to enhanced transparency and would reduce the margin for corruption. Unfortunately, this led to the creation of a complex system that is incomprehensible, slow, and ineffective, and the main goal of the regulation is lost through layers of decisions. Both decision-makers and employees no longer know the goal for which they were originally aiming. Everyone has become like a gear in an old machine.

A fear of responsibility has prevailed which has led to the evasion and transfer of obligations to other agencies or fruitless committees. It has become known that whoever works will inevitably make  mistakes and be accountable, while those who are slow or reject responsibility will usually get away with it. This has exacerbated the sluggishness of the system and added to the cost of waste to those who work in Kuwait.

As fear increases authority decreases, and a limitation is put on initiatives, creative thinking, and solution-finding. Managers become mere tools of signatories, and employees become a marginal part of routine machinery. Leaders become obsessed with micro-managing minute details and the approval of even the smallest decisions. They avoid delegation and enhance more centrality, either for the sake of practising authority or for the lack of trust in their employees.

We in the construction industry, like all sectors of the economy, suffer from this abhorrent bureaucratic process that costs the economy so much. It is a major obstacle to progress and leads to the failure of many projects, organizations, and individuals.

Thus, if we are seeking reformation, we have to face this general phenomenon and focus on the deconstruction of this centralisation. We need to genuinely simplify processes and clarify decision-making mechanisms. We have to identify responsibilities and deal transparently with decisions. We need to re-establish trust in leaders and employees in the government sector again and equip them with true authority to take decisions that serve the public good, and, more importantly, to re-educate the government sector and raise awareness that gives priority to consumers, whether individuals or private businesses, by enhancing management practices. Only then we can have a practical optimism.