IAC News

This report introduces the project for Introduction of Urban Transport Management in Kathmandu Valley (hereinafter the project), an engineering project implemented in Kathmandu, the capital of Nepal. Have you ever visited Nepal? Nepal is a landlocked country surrounded by India and China. I’m sure you all picture the Himalayan Mountains when you think of Nepal. Located at the foot of the mountain range approximately 1,350 meters above sea level is the Kathmandu Valley (hereinafter the valley). The valley is one of the most developed regions in Nepal, with a population of 3.26 million (as of 2021). It is made up of three districts, the Kathmandu District, Lalitpur District, and Bhaktapur District. The valley is also home to many temples and historic buildings built between the 16th and 18th centuries. It is a history-rich region with seven World Heritage sites.
A focal point of culture and history, the valley has two issues: road congestion and road accidents.

With regard to the first issue of road congestion, the main factors are: (1) an increase in population and reliance on automobile transportation, (2) the use of limited land, and (3) inefficient operation of existing roads. While the population of the valley is estimated to reach 3.84 million in 2031 (Asian Development Bank, 2018), up from 3.26 million in 2021, no railroad transport organizations have been set up and there is a strong dependence on road transportation such as cars, buses, motorbikes, mopeds, etc. In addition, the number of vehicles registered annually has increased by about 280%, rising from about 24,000 in 2000 to approximately 67,000 in 2014. Therefore, in order to ensure the infrastructure can sufficiently handle this amount of traffic, improvement measures such as widening the roads and large-scale intersection modifications are required. However, as buildings are congested in the valley and there are many historic regions, the amount of land that can be used for roads is limited. Furthermore, there is also the issue of operating existing roads and intersections efficiently. There are many intersections with no left- or right-turn lanes, as well as inefficient traffic lights with extremely long cycle lengths.

With regard to the second issue of road accidents, if we compare the number of fatalities per 10,000 automobiles by country, Nepal has 40.0, which is higher than neighboring countries Bhutan (16.7), India (13.0), and Sri Lanka (7.1) (World Bank, 2019). Also, the number of road accidents in the valley has increased from 8,958 in fiscal 2014/15 to 11,507 in fiscal 2017/18. According to the Nepal Traffic Police, at least 70% of road accidents are caused by drivers’ lack of road safety awareness.

To resolve these two issues, the main project began in February 2022, with the help of Nippon Koei Co., Ltd. and ALMEC Corporation (to be implemented until July 2025). The project consists of four main activities: (1) formulate a traffic management plan, (2) improve intersections, (3) improve the operations/management of traffic lights, and (4) educate about road safety. The aim is to implement appropriate traffic management measures, as well as contribute to improving traffic congestion and promoting road safety in the valley.
This next section introduces three efforts that have been implemented most recently: (1) pilot project to Improve Intersections, (2) road safety education activities, and (3) training in Japan.

During the project period, the pilot project to improve intersections selected two intersections, which can be improved relatively effectively without requiring land acquisition. The pilot project carries out construction work (setting up a dedicated right-turn lane and a median strip, etc.) to improve the intersections together with traffic light operations. Construction work at one of the intersections was completed at the end of December 2023. When measuring the effectiveness of the improvements in December 2023, a comparison with pre-construction work data showed an approximate 60% increase in travel speed (mornings and evenings) and an approximate 30% reduction in the intersection delay length (mornings and evenings).
As for road safety education efforts, various initiatives have been deployed to help improve awareness of road safety, such as road safety classes for elementary and junior high school students, volunteer-led efforts to promote the obeying of traffic lights, surveys to assess awareness/behavior changes of drivers and pedestrians, and efforts to educate road safety using social media and flyers.
As for training in Japan, related parties in Nepal have been invited to Japan twice to date to learn about urban transport management-related measure frameworks, methods of collaboration with related organizations, as well as intersection improvement, traffic light control, and transportation management methods. These efforts bring about multiple benefits within the project. This training involves lectures and site observation visits with the cooperation of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, related police departments, local governments, and private enterprises.

My final thoughts are that seeing firsthand the ongoing road transportation issues in Nepal has only strengthened my belief in the excellence of Japan’s road infrastructure. I believe the most important thing is that Japan’s excellent skills and know-how are leveraged to resolve issues in Nepal through the project to ultimately enhance economic and social development across the entire region.
JICA will continue to provide support in the road field in developing countries. Thank you for your continued support and cooperation!

Before and after Pilot Project to Improve Intersections

Efforts to educate about road safety
(photo credited to Kathmandu Valley Traffic Police)
 

Training in Japan (observation of intersection in Osaka)

【Reported by Jun Kunihiro, Japan International Cooperation Agency 】

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