Transport Issues in Developing Cities - Essay Example

Transport Issues in Developing Cities Abstract Cities both in the developed and developing nations play quite a major role. This is due to the fact that it is in these cities where economic activities are concentrated and accumulated aimed at facilitating growth and development of the entire country. As a result both in the developing and developed countries complexity of structures and the transportations systems supporting these structures are of great importance. This being the case in developed and developing countries urban cities exhibit a variety of transport related problems. This paper seeks to compare transport situation in Lagos city in Nigeria and the situation in New York in the United States and that of London in the United Kingdom since the year 1995. It addresses the similarity and differences that exists between the transport situation in Lagos being a city from a lesser developed nation and the situation as portrayed by New York and London being cities from the developed nations of the world. Further analysis is presented herein in relation the extent to which logos city might benefit from the experiences of the cities from developed nations that is New York and London. Over the years since 1995 Lagos is city characterized by complexity with a wide range of economic activities taking place. It is the largest urban centre in Nigeria. The population of Lagos is approximated to be roughly 17.8 million (Oni 2004, p.35). In most cases when a city is large and as continues to acquire growth and development it becomes more and more complex having increased potential for diverse disruptions especially in relation to the transport network hence the need for the managed of the complexity in an effective manner. In addressing the similarities and differences in transportation in the cities mentioned it is quite crucial to note that the productivity of urban centres is highly dependable on the effectiveness and efficiency of the centre’s system of transportation to facilitate movement of labor, that of consumers as well as freight from one destination to another (National Transport Policy for Nigeria 2003, p.54). In addition important terminals of transportation for instance airports, rail yards and ports that are located within urban cities are known to be contributing factors leading to transportation problems. There are quite a wide range of similarities that exist between the situation of transport in Lagos and that of New York and London since 1995. Lagos being of the largest cities in the world has been characterized by a rapid rate of population increase annually. This is due to the fact that a manufacturing sector is located in Lagos and which is termed as the largest in the entire country offers employments to over 45 percent of the country’s skilled manpower (Oni 2004, p.27). The big populace in the city therefore presents transportation requirements for certain reasons the nation is not able to satisfy. Similarly the cities of New York and London are demonstrated to experience the same situation. In regard to New York City, it is has the biggest population in America. People living in new York as well as in its outskirts engage in a lot of economic activities thus having a major impact on the aspects of finance, commerce, fashion, art, media, education, technology as well as entertainment. In London the situation is not that different as portrayed in New York. The population in London is quite large forcing United Kingdom to actually realize that the issue with increasing urban population is an inevitable one and need to be addressed. Urban mobility requirements in New York and London are therefore critical aspects considered by the states during the formulation of transportation policies including how transportation is to be managed to meet the needs of the large population. The road network in the city of Lagos is in a very poor condition. As already identified transportation systems within any given urban are linked to the aspect of development. In addition the systems highly impact on living conditions of the people. Lagos has over the years since 1995 as well as in the 80s lacked infrastructural expansion to cope with the needs of the increasing urban population (Oni 2004, p.52). This situation has resulted to increased congestion and heavy traffic in this city. Studies on the state of public transportation in Lagos indicate that almost double to triple time above the normal is taken by a person travelling within this city. This condition has indicated major implications on the development of the Nigerian economy as well as on the quality of life of its citizens. New York and London cities as much as the road networks are not worse of as it is in Lagos the cities have over the years due to the increased urban population been experiencing transport problems. Congestion is one major issue attributed to impact on the productivity of these cities. Studies indicate that a lot of billions are lost by the cities economies due to increased congestion where drivers spend a lot of time in traffic. An overview of the state of congestion in Lagos city An in depth analysis of the condition of transportation in Lagos presents that the city experiences loss of pubic space as a result of increased congestion. Pubic activities are difficult to execute with the markets being crowded and a lot of interactions taking place at the same time. Cars, buses and motor cycles are common means of transport in Lagos which as well as due to their large numbers in the streets results to more traffic. In comparison with New York and London these cities are as well experiencing drawbacks due to congestion in the aspects of productivity and overall growth of their economies. As studies indicate in these cities more traffic is an impediment to activities in the streets as well as better interactions socially among the population. Walking has been identified as alternative when traffic high, cycling does not present any far much better solution due to the congestion. New York and London are cities characterized by high economic productivity. In a bid to sustain their level of productivity these departments of transport system in these ensures that policies are formulated to address challenges within the urban transportation systems. Lagos as a city in a developing can much from how these major cities handle their issues as far as the development of a better transportation system is concerned. In order to mitigation of the transportation challenges faced by Lagos there are some strategies that may be applied as exemplified in the city of New York and London. Parking management is one way whereby people are given an opportunity to stop for a while a designated area for a fee and continue with their activities for instance shopping. This will greatly aid in easing congestion in the roads. Over the years New York and London are known to have highly developed road networks. The authorities in charge need to formulate policies and present them to the state government as regards the development of a better modernized road network. In line with this promotion of public transit is demonstrated to be a viable means of transportation that ensures that the challenge of congestion in the city is eliminated. Less private cars on the road means less congestion hence decreased traffic. The ultimate implication would be betterment of the city’s urban economic performance and increased quality of urban life for the urban people. In London and New York infrastructure in these cities has developed so as to meet the needs of the majority of the population in urban centers. This has been facilitated through non-motorized transportation. People in these urban centers majorly are involved in movements of short trips form one place to another hence the great importance and necessity placed upon non motorized mode of transportation. In the case of Lagos there is a necessity to have a developed infrastructure that will support such a transportation system. Such infrastructure includes sidewalks as well as promotion of cycling. These approaches are bound to have a significant impact on easing congestion in Lagos especially in relation to the modes used for transportation such as buses and cars. Images of not-motorized transportation in London On the other hand there are quite a range of differences in the comparison of the situation of transport in Lagos and that of New York and London. The city of Lagos experiences problems of energy consumption and environmental implications due attributed to concept of transportation in the urban city. Pollution in the city of Lagos has become an obstruction to the quality of life of the urban population. The health of the people living in Lagos is made vulnerable due to the increased level of energy consumed by the urban transportation system. The only solution to this problem is the formulation of a policy in support of pubic transit as a major means of transportation (Oni 2004, p.68). On the other hand as regards social and environmental issues a different scenario is demonstrated in New York. The city of New York records a high rate as far as the usage of pubic is concerned. This makes New York to have a great deal of efficiency in relation to the energy consumed by the urban transportation system. The same case applies to London a city that saves close to a half of the entire nation’s oil through public transit. In both New York and London public is identified to greatly contribute to the idea of safeguarding the health of the urban population. The location of the city of Lagos makes water transportation an import aspect of the city’s transportation system. Increased materialization and globalization throughout the years have resulted to increased freight movements within cities. Lagos lacks a well developed water transport system to facilitate efficient and effective freight movement (Adalemo 2005, p.50). A major factor that has been attributed to the problems being experienced in urban transportation system in Lagos is the limited infrastructure that is shared both by freight and circulation of passengers. Congestion as matter of fact has as well intensified these problems. On the other hand city and London are cities that have a good record of a well developed water transportation systems. In new there is the New York Habor where a center where water transportation activities are quite efficient. The hub has a well developed transportation system that allows the city to meet the high demands of the urban population transportation needs. In London water transportation is quite developed enabling the city to promote some of its river bus travelling services together with leisure cruises for its population. The better transport networks in London and New York are attributed to the good policies that are formulated by the city’s transport departments. In response to the water transportation problems experienced by Lagos the state need to borrow ideas from the cities in developed nations such as New York and London as far as policy formulation is concerned. Better commuter water services will aid the urban population in Lagos to have a better quality of life as well as foster development in the economic status of the city and generally of the entire country (Adalemo 2005, p.80). An approach towards seeking solutions to problems of water transportation Lagos needs to identify routes that can be developed and turn out purposeful to a greater population of the urban people. A strategy then has to be developed on how the funding of the infrastructure is to be sourced and administered. So far Lagos depicts an admirable process towards the elimination of water transportation related problems. Nigeria’s public sector provides finances for infrastructure development in the water transportation sector while the private sector has been given the mandate to operate and carry on the developments under the directives of the public sector (Oni 2004, p.80). The strategies in process for Lagos to achieve an improved waterway metropolitan status to offer transportation services to the urban population includes the formulation of regulatory framework that is appropriate as well as the encouragement of participation from the private sector in regard to providing commuter services through the waters (Odunuga, Faloseyi and Oyebode 2004, p.55). In this case Lagos has resorted to improving water safety and making water transportation attractive to commuters. In addition the city’s transport department has embarked on the aspect of ensuring that infrastructure along water transportation terminals is improved and made safe for the urban population. The image above shows the Old Agboyi-Ketu jetty transport terminal before rehabilitation Below is the new Agboyi-Ketu jetty transport terminal after rehabilitation In conclusion Lagos as an urban city and in a developing nation has a long way to go as far as meeting the challenges posed by the transportation system is concerned. As identified herein diversification of the transportation modes in Lagos will greatly aid in mitigating these challenges. Water transportation is presented to be a potentially and realistically viable option that Lagos can capitalize on developing in order to offer comfortable, safe, cheap and fast water transportation to its urban population. Some problems experienced by Lagos mostly revolves around the formulation of better transportation network development policies that form the background of having a well developed and sustainable transport infrastructure in place. From the experiences of the urban cities from developed nations of the world that is New York and London, Lagos being a large city in a developing country has been provided a view of the transportation system from a much bigger picture. Understanding how cities in the developed nations handle their transportation matters provides a very good basis for Lagos to address its transportation problems. Reference Oni, S. I. (2004) “Urbanization and Transportation Development in Metropolitan Lagos” in Industrialization, Urbanization and Development in Nigeria 1950-1999, Concept Publications Limited, Lagos p. 25-99 Federal Republic of Nigeria (1996), National Urban Transport Policy for Nigeria, Draft Policy Document prepared by the Federal Urban Mass Transit Agency, Abuja. Adalemo, I.A. (2005), “From Fishing Village to Sprawling Metropolis: The Growth and Spatial Expansion of Lagos, Nigeria”, Keynote Address to the National Conference on the Lagos Region, under the Theme: Planning and Management of Lagos Environment, Department of Geography, University of Lagos, Lagos. National Transport Policy for Nigeria (2003), Draft Document, Transport Sector Reform Committee, Bureau of Public Enterprises, Abuja, p.54 Odunuga, Y. Faloseyi, M. and Oyebode, O. (2004), “LG Funds: Lagos Floors Federal Government” in Saturday Punch, December 11 Read More