Cable Cars Fail to Ease Madagascar's Traffic Gridlock
· anime
Cable Cars to Nowhere: A Cautionary Tale for Africa’s Urban Planners
The collapse of Madagascar’s ambitious cable car project in Antananarivo serves as a warning sign for urban planners across the continent. Grand infrastructure projects are not a silver bullet solution for traffic congestion and urban development, despite their initial appeal.
The cable car system was hailed as a “landmark moment,” comparable to France building the Eiffel Tower, by former President Andry Rajoelina. However, its design failed to address the fundamental issue of affordability. Fares were set at six to eight times the price of traditional minibus taxis, making it unlikely that ordinary Madagascans would use this new mode of transportation.
As Pieter Onderwater, a public transport planning consultant, noted, “people will not use [cable cars] because money is far more key than time.” This sentiment resonates across Africa, where poverty and economic constraints are rampant. In Madagascar, 75% of the population lives below the poverty line, with an average monthly salary of just $72.
The cable car project’s failure highlights a deeper issue: African urban planners often rely on imported solutions from developed countries without considering their unique cultural and economic context. The World Bank estimates that by 2050, Africa’s urban population will double to 700 million people, placing immense pressure on transportation systems. Instead of investing in practical, low-cost solutions like expanding public transport networks or improving pedestrian infrastructure, governments are often seduced by grandiose projects that promise quick fixes but rarely deliver.
Antananarivo’s rapidly growing population demands a reassessment of urban planners’ priorities. The cable car project has shown that affordability and practicality must come first in Africa’s urbanizing cities. It’s time to move beyond flashy infrastructure projects and focus on building public transportation systems that serve the needs of ordinary people – not just those with deep pockets.
The unused cable cars hang above Antananarivo, a costly reminder of what happens when grand ideas are divorced from reality. But this failure can also be an opportunity for African cities to get back to basics and build transportation systems that truly serve their citizens.
Reader Views
- TIThe Ink Desk · editorial
The cable car debacle in Antananarivo serves as a stark reminder that imported solutions rarely fit the complex urban fabric of Africa's cities. While the project's failure to address affordability is well-documented, there's another crucial aspect often overlooked: maintenance costs. As cities continue to expand, it's essential for planners to consider not just the upfront investment but also the long-term financial burden of sustaining these grand projects. A more pragmatic approach would prioritize upgrading existing public transport systems and investing in low-cost infrastructure that can be sustained by local governments.
- MPMira P. · comics critic
The cable car debacle in Antananarivo is a prime example of urban planners' tendency to prioritize grandeur over practicality. But what's striking is how little attention has been paid to the elephant in the room: climate change. As cities like Antananarivo continue to grow, their infrastructure needs to adapt to increasingly unpredictable weather patterns and rising temperatures. Will future transportation projects take into account the heat island effect, or will they merely exacerbate it? It's time for urban planners to think beyond the next big project and toward a sustainable future.
- KAKenji A. · longtime fan
It's about time we called out urban planners for their fixation on flashy, high-cost projects that ignore the everyday realities of Africans. The cable car debacle in Antananarivo is just one example of this myopic thinking. But what's often overlooked is the role of local governments in perpetuating these failures. By contracting out major infrastructure projects to foreign consultants and companies, they're more interested in securing international funding than addressing the real needs of their citizens. This needs to change – we need urban planning that's driven by people, not just profit.