COMPLETE SCHOOL PROJECT TOPICS & MATERIALS :
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CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
Background to Study
Cities across the world are bedeviled with environmental maladies in different sub-sectors of the urban system. For instance, in the transportation sub-sector, road traffic congestion, air and noise pollution, and accident negatively affect the aesthetic of the urban environment. According to Auclair (1999) rating of transportation negativities in major cities of the world, the adverse effects of road traffic congestion was rated at 54.5%, while ineffectual public transportation system, air and noise pollution were rated 54.8% and 59.4% respectively. However, road traffic congestion is expected to be worst at 61.3% than public transportation and air pollution in the nearest future.
World Bank (2001) also noted the increasing pressure on urban transport systems in most developing countries. This is as a result of motor vehicle ownership and use which is growing at a faster rate than population, with vehicle ownership annual growth rates of between 15% or 20% in most developing countries. More so, the average distance traveled per vehicle has been on increase in most cities of the world. Ironically, these growths in traffic have continually exceeded the capability of authorities in developing countries to increase road space, hence the consequential impediments to the efficient working of the urban economics in most cities in developing countries.
Also, UNCHS (1998) asserted that travel speeds in cities are decreasing and the travel environment for pedestrians and people-powered vehicles are deteriorating in developing countries, due to the inefficiency of the entire road transport system. Of the sixteen developing country cities with populations of more than 4 million studied, five major cities in this group (Bucharest, Jakarta, Kinshasa, Lagos and Manila) experienced an average one-way journey to work of about one and quarter hours or more (UNCHS Global Urban Indicators Database, 1998).
This urban challenge, that is, road traffic congestion is, however, expected to aggravate in the nearest future particularly in developing countries, as a result of the projected world urban population explosion, in which about fifty percent of the world population is expected to live in cities by mid 21st century (World Bank, 1999). This projection justified the need for scientific enquiry into the generic characteristics of road traffic congestion, a social disorder, as it affects travel pattern in Oshodi-Apapa axis of Lagos.
Statement of Problem
The city of Lagos, a renowned world fast growing city, has over the years been experiencing problem of road traffic congestion. This problem has consequently rendered the city immobile over time and space. The ubiquity of road traffic congestion in metropolitan Lagos reduces accessibility to spatially located urban resources and land uses. Thus, impacts negatively on the socio-economic growth and development of the city. Road traffic congestion in Lagos is synonymous with the pronounced problems of longer transit time between locations, and waiting time at bus stops, high cost of transportation, excessive energy consumption and its attendant effects of air and noise pollution.
This problem persists, as the road capacity seems to be failing at accommodating additional traffic (demand for travel) by the surging Lagos population. The adverse effect of this is that the city is comparatively less competitive in socio-economic activities such as commerce and trade, education and tourism. Since the problem of road traffic congestion in metropolitan Lagos roads seems multi-faceted, there is need for multi-dimensional scientific enquiry into its causes, spatial dimension and characteristics; the underlining factors as well as the institutional approach to road traffic management activities in Lagos, so as to unclog traffic on Oshodi-Apapa Lagos roads axis.
Research Questions
The magnitude of the problem as highlighted above necessitates the quest into the background information and the generic characteristics of road traffic congestion in Lagos as follows:
- What is the characteristic of the vehicular composition on Oshodi-Apapa roads?
- What is the intensity of road traffic congestion in selected corridors?
- What is the structure of the traffic management institutions in Lagos?
- What are the commuter’s perceptions of road traffic congestions and coping strategies been adopted by them in metropolitan Lagos?
- What solution(s) would be ideal for a congestion free urban environment in Lagos?
Research Objectives
The aim of this study is to carry out a statistical analysis of traffic congestion in Oshodi-Apapa axis of Lagos The specific objectives are to:
- Identify the vehicular composition and volume on selected corridors of Lagos and outline its spatio-temporal effects on traffic flow in the metropolis.
- Determine the hierarchy of road traffic congestion on selected corridors of Lagos
- Examine the institutional arrangement for road traffic management in Lagos.
- identify commuters coping strategies and general perception of road traffic congestion in metropolitan Lagos
- Proffer feasible solution for new designs and countermeasures to road management, towards a free road traffic system in Oshodi-Apapa axis of Lagos.
Justification of the Study
Over the years, capacity expansion has been regarded as a major panacea to minimization of road traffic congestion in metro Lagos. Ironically, the construction of new roads and expansion of old ones by successive administrations in Lagos has never ameliorated the problem. Demand has always superceded supply, because vehicular volume, human population in Lagos has continued to increase over the years.
This however, corroborated Drew (1968) assertion that traffic engineer has only limited influence on traffic variables. According to Drew (1968), road engineer can add traffic lanes so as to reduce the rate of flow per lane; speed limits can also be set to discourage high speeds. In addition, traffic signals can be erected to alternate the right-of-way between conflicting streams. But Drew (1968) added that the engineer influence in road environment is limited by factors like traffic demand, vehicular capacities, and driver performances to mention a few.
This assertion further justifies the need for an enquiry into the relevance of this scenario in Lagos, so as to highlight appropriately the generic characteristics and peculiarities of this phenomenon in the study area. This is with a view to curtailing the problem of traffic congestion across Lagos, inasmuch as mobility is regarded an essential citizen right in any society (Whitelegg, 2006).