2.0 LITERATURE REVIEW
2.1 INTRODUCTION
Many transportation studies have been carried out in recent years (Hurst 1973). According to Gauthier (1970) and Hoyle (1973) the increasing interest is due partly to the tremendous impact of transportation infrastructure on regional economics. Much of the literature of transport of less-developed countries reveals a widespread belief in the importance of transport and in the efficiency of transport improvements in accelerating, the development process (Hoyle, 1973). Perhaps the most extreme claim for transport was that made by the colonial administrator Lord Lugard, who wrote over 50years ago that the material development of Africa may be summed in one word-transport (Lugard, 1922).
According to Hoyle (1973) the spectrum of transport modes available in the less developed world ranges from head porterage to jumbo jets and from canoes to containers, although there may be no inter-nodal choice in one locality. Yet there is no escape from transport (Mumby 1968), even in the most remote and least developed of inhabited regions, transport in some form is a fundamental part of the daily rhythm of life. A more recent united Nations study claimed that transport is the formative power of economic growth, and the differentiating process (Volgt, 1967); but it is also sometimes stated that transport is a result, rather than a cause of economic development.
2.2 HISTORICAL DEVELOPMENT OF TRANSPORT
The need for efficient public transport service to cater for the demand of urban commuters cannot be overstressed. Public transport systems are more efficient means of transporting large number of people between and within settlements than private cars (Adeniji, 1983).
In the develop countries the Para-transit modes of transport include such systems as car pools, rental cars, specialized commuter bus service provided on a subscription basis, as well as taxi cab related services like dial-a-bus and motorcycles. In the less developed countries, Para –transit modes are usually referred to as intermediate mode of public transport. They include the shared taxi, cab, minibuses, modified vehicles such as the jeepneys of manila in the Philippines (Grava, 1977). Silos of chien mai in thailand (Fouracre and Manuder, 1978), the cycle rickshaws community found in most Asian cities (Jacob and Fouracre, 1976) and “Going” in Nigeria towns, (Okoko, 1990)
In recent years, the prohibitive prices of brand, new cars and buses have resulted in the reduction of the number of private cars and commercial vehicles generally on our urban roads. Even the fairly used imported cars and buses (Tokunbo) are beyond the reach of the majority of our people. As a result of these factors, there has been a tremendous demand for public transport in our town in recent years. It is now a common sight to see hundred of passengers at bus stations or along road sides waiting for hours for the few buses and taxis on the road (Okoko, 1998).
0 comments:
Post a Comment