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. Research questions were developed to investigate the influence that operational upgrades had on traffic network performance. The questions catered to:  The incorporation of operational upgrades in the STMP’s methodology,  Operational upgrades as a traffic network improvement measure, and  The future use of output data. The research concluded that the STMP, fundamentally, aims to develop Windhoek’s transport network. The proposed techniques, primarily, focus on operational improvements with limited infrastructure expansion required during the implementation phase. The operational upgrade improves the traffic network’s accommodation transport demand, however, the wholesome implementation of the STMP’s proposed operational upgrades could provide a better measure of improvement. The output data, obtained from the micro simulation of Werner List Street, was used to identify areas needing further attention. It was, therefore, concluded that output data formed a critical role in providing a platform to continually update the CBD traffic network’s performance. Through the assessment of Windhoek’s activity system, it was noted that a significant percentage (40%) of residents have no access to private vehicle ownership use creating a potential market for public transport utilisation. Public transport occupancy per trip far outmatches that attained through public transport. The analysis results, obtained from the micro simulation of the upgraded network and substantiated through results obtained from the conducted visual inspections, depict a slight improvement in the network performance. The John Meinert-Werner List intersection experienced significantly lower queue length levels than the levels established in the base study. The results, further, depict areas of concern along Werner List Street. The queue length measurements for the eastern and western approaches of the Fidel Castro-Werner List intersection and the western approach of the Dr Frans Indongo-Werner List intersection depict relatively high levels of queue length build-up. Further, the analysis of the traffic commuting between the Fidel Castro-Werner List intersection and the Dr Frans Indongo-Werner List intersection depicts a low average speed, as compared with the average speeds measured for the other links. The implementation of additional upgrades, preferably operational upgrades, should, therefore, aim to reduce the impact at the assessed areas of concern whilst reducing overall traffic volumes within the CBD. The research recommends a pragmatic implementation of the STMP, specifically the network continuity and ring route formations. These methods of network upgrading aim to reduce vehicle volumes within the CBD by providing alternate route choices for traffic that commutes across the CBD to reach the destinations outside the CBD. Additionally, the incorporation of modern technology would provide updated count data and monitors the network’s performance. Modern technology, such as the lane occupancy detectors and tolltag transponders, provides continually updated quantitative data at traffic intersection. This dissertation primarily focuses on the operational aspects of the transport network. The possibility of attending to pedestrian movement and public transport regulation within the CBD would, further, improve the academic understanding of Windhoek’s transport system and promote a holistic approach to improving the network’s capacity.

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