The study of the improvements to transport controlling facilities, defined in this dissertation as
operational transport upgrades, aims to ascertain its influence on a growing urban traffic
demand. This dissertation assesses the influence that the conversion of Werner List Street into a
one-way street has on the performance of traffic accommodation. Werner List Street links traffic
commuting from the south to the north of Windhoek’s Central Business District (CBD). The CBD
traffic demand is estimated to breach network capacity by 2015, a scenario prevalent in many
small middleweight cities.
The research conducted a literature review on aspects related to the development and
implementation of operational upgrades; thereby gaining an understanding on the relevance that
such improvements have on small middleweight cities. Studied literature suggests that with the
reduction in the allocation of funds to develop transport systems, transport authorities resort to
innovative methods of improving transport network utilising minimal capital expenditure. The
limited funding is prevalent in small middleweight cities due to the current lack of major traffic
impediment.
The research studied aspects of Windhoek’s activity system, as presented in the city’s Household
Survey of 2004 that primarily focused on the income status, transport mode use and transport
mode preference. The origin of trips would assist in determining the direction, in relation to
Windhoek’s CBD, peak traffic commutes.
The City of Windhoek embarked on establishing a base CBD traffic scenario, from which future
improvements could be measured. The assessment of the network demarcated for the base
study formed part of the input information used to establish the Strategic Transport Master Plan
(STMP). The STMP aims to address the promotion of access to land-use areas (Phase 1), the
modal composition distortion (Phase 2) and CBD traffic circulation improvement (Phase 3). The
assessment of Windhoek’s transport network has primarily consisted of visual inspections, with
the one-way conversion of Werner List Street being the only upgrade completed.
The conversion of Werner List Street into a one-way street is an implemented improvement
borne from the development of the STMP. The analysis of performance measures along the
upgraded street entailed the micro simulation of peak traffic during morning and evening
periods. Visual inspections, using the manual traffic count method, were conducted to validate
turning movements and queue length build-up at the three major streets intersecting Werner List
Street; Fidel Castro Street, Dr Frans Indongo Street and John Meinert Street.