EFFECTIVENESS OF LAGOS STATE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY (LASTMA) ON TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
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EFFECTIVENESS OF LAGOS STATE TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT AUTHORITY (LASTMA) ON TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT
ABSTRACT
Traffic management is the process of managing the existing traffic environment in order to create a free flow of traffic while also controlling and regulating traffic proceedings.
The study examines the effectiveness of LASTMA on traffic management, focussing on LASTMA’s actions and achievements in Lagos since its inception and determining whether it has been a success or a failure.
To achieve this goal, the following precise objectives were established: determine if traffic congestion has decreased on Yaba-Ojota routes, determine if driving culture has impacted motorists, and determine whether LASTMA has had a good effect on driving culture. This report’s study design is descriptive, with respondents providing information via a questionnaire.
This study included 180 (one hundred and eighty) respondents to reflect the entire population. Primary data were acquired using a questionnaire, whilst secondary data were gathered from textbooks, journals, newspapers, and the internet.
The data were presented on a frequency distribution table and analysed using basic percentages, with the hypothesis evaluated using the chi-square test.
This work is significant because the research will examine the effectiveness of LASTMA since its inception and determine whether or not the organisation has met expectations; if not, the reasons will be discussed, providing detailed information about the performance, prospects, and challenges of LASTMA in Lagos.
With all of this, the research study will help the Lagos state government evaluate LASTMA’s performance; it will also benefit the public, LASTMA, and future scholars.
Chapter 1: Introduction
Transport is critical to the smooth operation of economic activity and to the social well-being and cohesion of populations. Transport facilitates people’s daily mobility and is essential for the production and distribution of goods. Adequate infrastructure is a crucial requirement for transport networks.
The introduction of LASTMA to manage traffic on these roads, strict enforcement of traffic rules and regulations, and the implementation of various mass transit schemes such as LAGBUS, BRT, and others aimed at solving traffic problems on Lagos roads have all failed to eliminate traffic challenges in the study area.
As a preface to the other sections of this study, this chapter will describe the context in which this study was launched, the statement of problems that led to this study, and the study’s aim and objectives.
Other considerations include the study’s significance, scope of work, research hypothesis and questions, study limitations, and technical term definitions.
1.2 Background of the Study
Traffic management is the process of managing the existing traffic environment in order to create a free flow of traffic while also controlling and regulating traffic proceedings. Prior to 1999, Lagos State’s transport and vehicular traffic systems were neglected and disorganised.
There was terrible and high vehicle density in the state; studies carried out showed that the vehicle density in the state is about “224 vehicles per km as against a national average of 15 vehicles per km and a New York average of 24 vehicles per km with trams, trains, metro and waterways transportation” As a result, there is constant road congestion, which causes traffic jams.
According to LASTMA General Manager, Babatunde Edu, the situation on Lagos roads prior to the establishment was frustrating; workers found it difficult to get to their various working places on time; the situation worsened when it rained because traffic congestion was doubled, compounded by the rough driving of commuters;
as a result of these problems, life was hectic and unbearable for the majority of Lagos workers. As a result, many road users in Lagos are in a perilous situation that requires immediate government intervention (Olasunkanmi, 2013).
As a result, LASTMA was formed and charged with guaranteeing the free flow of vehicle traffic in Lagos State in order to reduce travel time and improve Lagosians’ quality of life (Olasunkanmi, 2013).
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) was founded on July 15, 2000, to oversee and administer traffic procedures in Lagos State.
According to an online source, the Lagos state government, then led by Governor Bola Hammed Tinubu, established LASTMA to foster a culture of orderly monitoring of road usage regulation and traffic operations across the state, as well as to ensure free traffic flow on Lagos roads (Online/http://www.wikil LASTMA/05/03/2013).
Furthermore, LASTMA was established to make Lagos roads safer and to reduce death, injuries, and economic losses caused by road traffic accidents, congestion, and delays by saving man hours wasted on public highways, as well as to ensure the state’s long-term economic growth and the free flow of traffic for better social and economic activities.
To decrease deaths, injuries, and economic losses caused by road traffic accidents, conflicts, congestion, and delays on Lagos state’s public highways by implementing modern traffic management techniques, as well as to restore order and control to the road traffic system (Atubi, 2006).
From the preceding, it is obvious that the primary functions or goal of LASTMA’s establishment are to foster a culture of orderly monitoring, road usage regulation, and state-wide traffic management.
To make Lagos roads safe and reduce the number of deaths, injuries, and economic losses caused by road traffic accidents, congestion, and delays by saving man hours wasted on public highways, as well as to ensure the state’s long-term economic growth; to ensure free flow of traffic, for better social economic activities (Oni, 2004).
The aim before this research effort is to conduct an evaluation or appraisal of LASTMA’s actions over the last few years; has LASTMA truly achieved the purpose for which it was created? What hurdles has LASTMA faced in recent years, and what victories have they achieved? All of these questions form an appraisal or evaluation of LASTMA’s achievements as a traffic management authority in Lagos state.
1.3 Statement of The Problems
Prior to LASTMA’s establishment in Lagos, the principal challenges on Lagos roads were excessive traffic congestion, traffic log jams, a high rate of road accidents, and a terrible driving culture among motorists, commuters, and other road users in general. There was a lack of adherence to traffic norms and regulations, as well as improper use of the pedestrian bridge.
These issues led to a number of accidents, resulting in the loss of lives and limbs, the loss of valuable human hours in traffic, and the wear and tear on both humans and vehicles.
The challenges also had a severe influence on corporate expenses and efficiency, slowing the socioeconomic development of the state and the country as a whole.
These issues forced the development of LASTMA in 1999 to alleviate excessive traffic congestion in Lagos, create an avenue for free flow of vehicle traffic, save time, and improve quality of life.
1.4 Goals and Objectives of Study
The study’s goal is to examine the effectiveness of LASTMA on traffic management, with a focus on LASTMA’s actions and achievements in Lagos since its inception, and determine whether it has been a success or a failure. To achieve this goal, the particular objectives listed below were established:
To see if traffic congestion has reduced on the Yaba-Ojota routes.
To assess whether driving culture has an impact on motorists.
To determine if LASTMA has had a good impact on driving culture.
To determine public opinion of LASTMA operatives.
1.5 Research Questions.
The study developed research questions to determine the above-stated aims. The specific research questions for the project are listed below:
Has the formation of LASTMA had a good impact on traffic congestion?
Has the implementation of LASTMA led to a significant reduction in traffic accidents?
Does LASTMA have any positive effects on people’s driving habits?
How do members of the public perceive LASTMA operatives?
1.6 Research Hypothesis
In order to achieve the goal of this study, the following generalised statements have been prepared to guide and aid in collecting the results of the experiment to be done. For the sake of this study, the null hypothesis will be denoted by H0, whereas the alternative hypothesis will be represented by H1.
Hypothesis One.
H0: The implementation of LASTMA in Lagos has no substantial impact on traffic congestion.
H1: The introduction of LASTMA in Lagos has a substantial impact on traffic congestion.
Hypothesis Two
H0: The establishment of LASTMA makes no meaningful impact to the reduction of traffic accidents.
H1: The establishment of LASTMA contributes significantly to the decrease of traffic accidents.
Hypothesis Three
H0: The implementation of LASTMA has no discernible impact on driving culture.
H1: The establishment of LASTMA had a profound impact on driving culture.
1.7 Significance of the Study
This work is significant because the research will examine the effectiveness of LASTMA since its inception and determine whether or not the organisation has met expectations; if not, the reasons will be discussed, providing detailed information about the performance, prospects, and challenges of LASTMA in Lagos.
With all of this, the research study will help the Lagos state government evaluate LASTMA’s performance; it will also benefit the public, LASTMA, and future scholars.
1.8 Scope of Study
The scope of this study will primarily focus on the general public, which will include some selected motorists, commuters, and other members of the public in the Yaba region and Ojota road in Lagos.
The research region, Lagos Mega-city, is located on Nigeria’s south-western coast along the Bight of Benin, between latitudes 60 and 70 north of the equator and longitudes 30 and 40 east of Greenwich.
Population and Economic Activity
The Yoruba people represent the city’s major ethnic group. Lagos has a very diversified and fast expanding population as a result of continual migration from the rest of Nigeria and adjacent countries; its population is approximately 15,000,000 (census, 2006).
Lagos gets the majority of Nigeria’s import trade, including consumer products, groceries, motor vehicles, machinery, and industrial raw materials. Its export trade in timber and agricultural products like as cocoa, palm nut, and peanut has plummeted.
Since the 1970s, more than half of Nigeria’s industrial capacity has been concentrated in Lagos’ mainland suburbs, particularly the Bceja Industrial Estate.
Lagos is the western terminus of Nigeria’s railway system, and it is connected by rail and road. The Murtala Mohammed International Airport is located in the sub-urban north-west of the city core.
Lagos’ rapid unchecked growth, along with the constraints of its fragmented geography, has resulted in chronic traffic congestion on the city’s streets. Despite this, there is minimal boat transit between Lagos’ islands and low-lying areas.
1.9 Limitations of the Study
Several factors impeded the completion of this research, including the following:
Time Constraint: Due to the school academic calendar, the time window allocated to complete this study was extremely short, and it was carried out under pressure, causing the researcher to overlook several critical features.
The availability of research material is a significant limitation to the breadth of the investigation.
Frequent power outages prompted the researcher to spend extra money on gasoline to ensure sustainable power.
Financial constraints: Insufficient funds tend to restrict the researcher’s efficiency in accessing relevant materials, literature, or information, as well as in data collecting (internet, questionnaire, interview).
1.10 Definition of Terms.
Traffic is the movement of vehicles, ships, people, etc. in a region, along a street, through an air plane, over a water route, etc.; it can also refer to high traffic on the road or sea, or the transfer of products for commerce purposes by sea, land or air; ships of traffic.
Traffic management is a strategy of controlling roadworks, which includes measures aimed at improving road safety for all users, reducing congestion, and controlling car use.
Chapter Two: Literature Review and Introduction
This chapter’s major topic is a review of pertinent literature. A literature review examines theoretical and methodological contributions to a specific subject, as well as the level of knowledge at the time of publication.
It gives information on the state of the art in regards to the topic you’re writing about. It explores the body of literature on the specified topic. This study’s literature examination includes the following:
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