To the residents of Dar City, the news that the Rapid Transit project will be operational by November next year is welcome indeed.

The BRT project is welcome news because the majority of Dar es Salaam public and industrial workers travel to their work places by buses.

At peak hours, the motorized traffic is extremely slow haunted by numerous traffic jams. Thousands of man-hours are lost each day as commuter buses and private vehicles crawl to their destinations in narrow streets.

Lost man-hours mean that important work in public offices, private enterprises and industrial centres is not done in time, adversely affecting our socio-economic development.

At the same time almost-stationary vehicles in traffic jams consume tonnes of fuel, bought by scarce foreign currency, belching smoke that causes air pollution in our city.

It is, therefore, our hope that the project will eliminate current snags that bedevil the smooth traffic flow.

The DART Chief Executive has also been quoted as saying that the project has been delayed partly because some people whose houses are on route of the bus rapid transit network have been compensated but are refusing to vacate the earmarked areas.

They should be persuaded by Dar es Salaam City authorities, without excessive force, to see sense and allow the project to start next October without further hitches because the majority of Dar es Salaam residents need to move faster to their workplaces than is the case at present.