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Urban transportation problems and challenges in Nigeria: A
planner’s view
A. J. Aderamo
Department of Geography and Environmental Management, University
of Ilorin, P.M.B. 1515, Ilorin. E-mail: aderamoadekunle@yahoo.com
Accepted 14th February, 2012 |
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Urban transportation problems remain some of the most frequently
discussed topics in urban geography yet the problems seem to
only get worse. The advantages of transportation cannot be
overemphasized. Transportation is the hub of the economy, it
connects people and makes people and places accessible and
enhances social, economic and cultural interactions. However,
large increases in urban population, pollution and other
negative externalities have seriously compromised existing
transportation systems and significantly increased the challenge
of creating future transportation systems especially in
developing countries. The paper examines the problems of urban
transportation systems in Nigeria with a view to recommending
palliative measure to reduce the problems. This has been done by
looking at the structure and form of Nigerian cities and the
rapid, unplanned and uncoordinated growth of the cities. In
addition, the environmental and social impacts of these trends
have been examined. These impacts include congestion, energy
consumption, air pollution and traffic accidents. Finally, the
paper suggests strategies for addressing the urban
transportation problems. These include adopting a holistic
approach to solving the transportation problems in the cities
and using the best techniques that have been tried and shown to
be effective such as using cleaner fuels, retrofitting engines,
improving existing public transportation and enforcing stricter
traffic rules. Further, approaches to solving urban
transportation problems must be “city-specific” and urban
transportation planners must realize that solutions designed for
cities of developed countries cannot be applied to the urban
areas in developing countries
Keywords:
transportation, systems, growth, countries, urban.
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