Nairobi has announced plans to launch weekly car-free days in part of its CBD in a bid to ease traffic congestion.

A six-block radius will be closed to private vehicles on Wednesdays and Saturdays, Business Daily reports, and the available parking lots will be turned into open-air markets where traders will be invited to sell their wares.

The East African metropolis is reportedly the most traffic-congested city on the continent, with around 7 million people taking to its roads every day. The car-free pilot follows other ‘open-street’ initiatives worldwide, which encourage people to opt for public transport – reducing congestion and, along with that, greenhouse gas emissions.

‘Immense profits will be realised from this development, as businesses will [still] be allowed to operate within the CBD,’ says Department of Transport principal secretary Paul Maringa.

Following the pilot, the Kenyan government will also roll out an extensive BRT system.

5 February 2019
Image: Alamy