Assessment of Freight Vehicles’ Effects on Urban Traffic in Lagos State, Nigeria
Tolu I. Atomode
ABSTRACT
Freight vehicles possess distinguishing characteristics from those of the passenger vehicles that often predispose them to diverse traffic challenges in the urban transport systems. This study examined the contribution of freight vehicles to urban traffic problems in Lagos State, Nigeria. Major traffic bottlenecks along selected roads served as data collection stations for this study. Classified traffic counts conducted at each station was obtained from Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA). The opinions of sampled 1,500 stakeholders (commuters, freight and passenger vehicle drivers, and traffic management officers) in the transport sector were sought through questionnaire administration on the perceived share of freight vehicles in urban traffic problems. Simple percentages, tables and charts were used to summarise the data while Simple Linear Regression Analysis was used for testing hypothesis and drawing valid conclusions. Findings showed that, although freight vehicles make up 8% of the total vehicular traffic; they constitute 40% of urban traffic problems in the study area. In addition, the proportion of freight vehicles in traffic was also found to significantly predict their share in urban traffic problems, F (198)=315.107, P<.001, R2=.614 . The R2 value of .614 revealed that the volume of freight vehicles explained 61.4% of the variability in traffic problems associated with freight vehicles in the study area. Attempts at solving urban traffic problems should therefore accord greater priority to reducing the pressure on the urban roads by encouraging the efficient development and utilization of other transport modes.
