Net Journal of Social Sciences

Vol. 12(1), pp. 1-8, January 2024

DOI: 10.30918/NJSS.121.23.041
ISSN: 2315-9774
Full Length Research Paper

An analysis of physical planning perspective of the

implications of traffic congestion in the central area of
Osogbo
B.O. Owolabi, I.A. Oladokun and T.O. Yusuf*
Department of Urban and Regional Planning, School of Environmental Technology, Federal University of Technology,
Akure Nigeria.
Accepted 16 November, 2023

ABSTRACT

This study analyzes the physical planning perspective of the implication of traffic congestion in the central
area of Osogbo to investigate the socio-economic lifestyle of commuters and Identify the implication of traffic
congestion within the study area. The study annexed both primary and secondary sources for data
collection. The study adopts a 3% sampling study out of the total traffic count of 19745 respondents that ply
the road; this therefore amounted to 364 respondents from the 7 selected junctions in the area. The results
of the finding show that the population growth, lack of road infrastructure and parking facilities are physical
planning perspectives on the implication of traffic congestion in the study area. The result also shows that
the socio-economic status of respondents influences the condition of traffic congestion. The study concludes
and makes recommendations such as the need for public enlightenment / regular education of road users in
the study area on the need to use traffic control devices, the need to decongest activities in the central area
of Osogbo to reduce the number of travel to the area, construction of proper and consistent bus terminals
which are not too far apart within the city, enforcing the use of alternate routes to minimize the number of
traffic within the city centre during the peak hour of the day. The study recommends the provision of a
parking plaza strategically within the area to curb the problem of on-street parking.

Keywords: Central area, congestion, implication, physical planning and perceptive.

*Corresponding author. E-mail: yusufot@futa.edu.ng.

INTRODUCTION

Traffic congestion can be described as the mutual Ojo, 2018). Congestion has turned out to be an issue in
obstruction of traffic by vehicles because of the some of the cities worldwide, and it is a difficult challenge
interrelation between the volume of flows and the moving to overcome. It interrupts sustainable social, economic,
vehicle velocity in the case of the depletion of and environmental improvement and increases transport
infrastructure capacity. It is likewise defined as the level costs (Ye, 2012).
of vehicle traffic that exceeds a road’s capacity, leading According to Aderamo (2012), physical planning and
to a reduction in moving vehicle velocity or entire transportation planning are closely related. This is
obstruction of free movement (Ko´zlak and Wach, 2018). because the manner land uses are organized will have
This traffic congestion causes delays in travelling time an effect on trip generation, travel patterns and traffic
and increases the cost of travelling because congestion volumes which in turn will affect the transportation
in traffic consumes more fuel (Olagunju, 2011). facilities which are provided for accessibility to different
The rapid urbanization and economic growth capacity parts of the city.
in the urban regions bring about the need for large Traffic congestion has turned out to be one of the
transport activities, and when these needs are met, traffic problems in cities all over the world. (Aderamo, 2012).
congestion happens at the same time (Agyapong and Which has led to negative economic impacts and
 Net J Soc Sci 2

environmental pollution (Wang et al., 2014). Many of the accessible from any part of the state due to its central
African cities are not exempted from this challenge. nature. It is about 48 km from Ife, 32 km from Ilesa, 46
Specifically, the central business districts (CBD) of many km from Iwo, 48 km from Ikire and 46 km from Ila
large and medium cities of the country are affected by Orangun; the city had a population of approximately
this mobility problem, and the state capital of Osun State, 156,694 people in 2006 in line with the census; the postal
Osogbo is also experiencing such a problem, especially code of the area is 230. It has a coordinate, longitude
in the CBD. Therefore, this study will focus on the 7˚46N 4˚34E and latitude 7.767 ˚ N 4.567 ˚ E. The study
physical planning implication of traffic congestion in the area for the research work is the metropolitan of Akure
central area of Osogbo, Nigeria to provide information on with a focus on the central area of the city as shown in
measures that will offer beneficial information for urban Figures 1, 2 and 3.
planners, policymakers, and practitioners to plan suitable
strategies for decreasing congestion that would assist to
ensure a sustainable urban transport system. Research database

The research methodology adopts the use of the mixed

LITERATURE APPRAISAL methods approach. The primary data were collected from
drivers and commuters of the central area and personnel
The level of urbanization within the developing world from related government agencies in charge of controlling
shows that more people now stay in cities than before. traffic were also interviewed to gather information related
Cities with a million people and above, in line with the to traffic conditions in the study area. The secondary
United Nations forecasts elevation to over three hundred source of information includes journals, seminar papers,
by the year 2000 in the developing world (Ogunbodede, dissertations, published and unpublished books,
2009). This trend will continue due to the speedy population statistics related to infrastructure
population growth, resulting from the development of development, AutoCAD and ArcGIS Software, and maps
health services and the multifarious functions done by sourced from the library, internet, archives and
cities, which have been another main attractive force. institutions. The study sampling frame was taken from
The situation described above has its effect on traffic vehicle operators within the selected area, car owners,
congestion in cities of the developing world. Thus, the commuters, traders as well and traffic warders that
activities, which take place in them, lead them to control the movement of vehicles at the selected traffic
generators and attractors of traffic, which of course has corridor. Twelve (12) traffic corridors were selected in the
implications on mobility (Ogunbodede, 2009). area because they generate more traffic within the central
Traffic congestion is a problem that emanates when a area of Osogbo.
city’s road network is not able to house the volume of The 12 traffic corridors are Oja-Oba (King’s Market),
traffic, which is due to speedy growth in motorization with Isale Osun, Olu-Ode, Okefia, Old Garage, Ajegunle,
less corresponding improvement in the road network, Olaiya, Alekunwodo, Jaleyemi, Igbona, Ayetoro. This
traffic control techniques and associated transport study adopts 3% sampling for the study out of the total
facilities. While traffic congestion has been controlled traffic count of 19745 respondents that ply the road; this
thoroughly in some developed countries, it has persisted therefore amounted to 364 respondents from the 7
in defying solutions within the developing world selected junctions in the area. A 3% research sample
(Ogunbodede and Aribigbola, 2003). The study examines size was used as a result of common attributes and
the socioeconomic characteristics of road users as well peculiarity of the selected junction in relation to the
as the physical perspective of the implication of traffic course of the research. The study was also justified in
congestion in the central area of Osogbo, Nigeria. line with the study of Joseph and Anderson (2012), in
which he made use of 300 questionnaires to achieve the
desired result on traffic congestion in major cities of
RESEARCH METHODOLOGY Nigeria.
A multi-stage sampling procedure was used for the
Research location research. The first stage adopts purposive sampling
techniques to identify the central area of the city (core)
Osogbo is the capital of Osun State. Osogbo city is the from transition and peripheral. The second stage involved
Headquarters of both Osogbo Local Government Area the use of ballot sampling techniques to sample 7 traffic
(located at Oke Baale Area of the city) and Olorunda corridors out of the 12 within the central area of the city.
Local Government Area (located at Igbonna area of the Stage three adopts the use of convenient sampling
city). It’s around 88 km through the road northeast of techniques to sample 3% of the total respondents derived
Ibadan. It is likewise 100 km by road south of Ilorin and from the traffic population for the study which amounts to
115 km northwest of Akure; Osogbo shares boundary a total of 364 sampled respondents. The accidental
with Ikirun, Ilesa, Ede, Egbedore and Iragbiji and is easily sampling techniques were used at the fourth stage due to
 Owolabi et al. 3

Figure 1. Map of Nigeria showing Osun State. Source: Osun State Ministry
of Lands and Physical Planning, 2022.

Figure 2. Map of Osun State showing Osogbo. Source: Osun State

Ministry of Lands and Physical Planning, 2022.
 Net J Soc Sci 4

Figure 3. Map of Osun State showing Road Network. Source: Osun State Ministry of Lands and
Physical Planning, 2022.

the nature of the study to sample any available commuter observed that 140 out of the total 364 respondents
or vehicle operator until the total number was complete. engage in commercial activities in the selected traffic
Purposive sampling techniques were used for the last corridor of Osogbo, 108 out of the total respondents were
stage on some of the agencies regulating traffic such as drivers, 44 were professionals, 36 were civil servants and
the Federal Road Safety Commission (FRSC), National 36 were artisans. This alluded that most of the
Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), and Traffic respondents selected for the study engages in mobility
Warders among others. movement in the area either as a trader, driver, civil
The research instrument includes a structured servants or an artisan. The age group of the respondents
questionnaire, interview guide, Google Earth Pro, denotes that most of the respondents for the study were
AutoCAD, and Geographic Information System (GIS). mature enough to provide related responses to the
Frequency tables and figures were computed for each course of study as a larger percentage 59.1% fall
variable based on the set objectives with the use of between the age group 31-51 years, 22% fall between
univariate analysis. the ages of over 51 years, 12.1% fall between the age of
18-30 years. It was also discovered that most of the
respondents earn above Nigeria's minimum wage of 37%
RESULT AND DISCUSSION as shown in Figure 5, earning between 41,000-60,000
per month, which can lead to the increase in the number
Socio-economic characteristics of respondents of car owners among Osogbo residents.

The result of the findings shows that the majority of the

respondents in the area are male 69% and female 31% Analyzing the physical planning implication of traffic
(Table 1). This eludes that the majority of the congestion in the study
respondents for the studies were either drivers or traders
which constitute the major occupation of the respondents There are several physical planning implications of traffic
as presented in Figure 4. The finding also shows that congestion in the central area of Osogbo, among them
more than half of the respondents in the area were are population increase, urban sprawl, lack of overall
married and are either Muslim or Christian with less than physical plan and development control, inadequate road
10% of the respondents agreeing to be traditional infrastructure and parking facilities, poor public transport
worshipers. This larger percentage of married gives and poor road network.
reliable information about the course of study. The finding un-measure population increase or
From the findings presented in Figure 4, it was population growth of Osogbo since it became the seat of
 Owolabi et al. 5

Table 1. Socio-economic characteristics of the respondents.

Sex of the Respondents Frequency Percentages %

Male 251 69
Female 113 31
Total 364 100

Religion of the Respondents

Islamic 186 51.1
Christianity 144 39.5
Traditional 34 9.3
Total 364 100.0

Marital Status of the Respondents

Married 206 56.9
Single 94 25.2
Divorced 15 4.1
Widow 49 13.7
Total 364 100.0

Age of the Respondents

under 18 years 25 6.9
18-30 years 44 12.1
31-51years 215 59.1
Over 51 years 80 22.0
Total 364 100.0

Level of Education
Primary 45 12.4
Secondary 81 22.3
Tertiary 152 41.8
No formal education 44 12.1
Post Graduate 42 11.5
Total 364 100.0
Source: Author’s Field Survey, 2023.

Figure 4. Occupation of the Respondents. Source: Author’s Field

Survey, 2023.
 Net J Soc Sci 6

Figure 5. Income Level of the Respondents. Source: Author’s Field

Survey, 2023.

government for Osun state as being a major physical Table 2. Trend of population growth for Osogbo.
planning perspective to traffic congestion in the area. The
city of Osogbo is growing at a very fast rate from 126,000 Year Population Growth rate
in 1953 to 772,000 in 2023 as shown in Table 2 and 1953 126,000. 4.13%
1963 207,000 5.08%
Figure 6. As a result of this, the city cannot provide 1973 267,000 2.30%
adequate services and infrastructure including 1983 342,000 2.40%
transportation infrastructure to cope with population 1993 433,000 1.64%
growth and increase in the central area of Osogbo, 2003 521,000 1.96%
contributing to traffic congestion. The increase in 2013 625,000 1.79%
population will continue to exert pressure on road 2023 772,000 2.93%
infrastructure and other social and economic services Source: National Population Commission, 2023.
unless deliberate efforts are made to address traffic
st
congestion in the city. This was also ranked 1 with a
weighted mean of 4.16 which signifies that population the traffic congestion problems in the city. Finally, several
growth in the study area is a crucial implication of motorists especially during morning and evening peak
physical planning to traffic congestion. hours violate traffic regulations. The famous breakers of
Another implication of physical planning to traffic traffic regulations are the minibus (Korope) drivers and
congestion in the study area is urban inadequate road motorcyclists.
infrastructure and parking facilities in the area to Urban sprawl is another physical planning perspective
accommodate the increase in population. Road of traffic congestion in the central area of Osogbo. Urban
infrastructure such as pedestrian walkways, bus sprawl refers to the rapid expansion of the geographic
terminals, and signage among others were not adequate extent of cities and towns which are often characterized
in the study area therefore causing congestion in the area by low-density residential housing, single-use and
nd
and this was ranked 2 from the result of findings with a increased reliance on the private automobile for
weighted means of 4.04, which implies that after an transportation. The result of this urban sprawl on Osogbo
increase in population the second view of physical traffic congestion is the use of motorized transport to
planning on traffic congestion in the central area of travel long distances to workplaces and other parts of the
Osogbo is inadequate road infrastructure and parking city such as places from Ede, Ikirun, Ejigbo, Ilobu,
facilities. Some of the road intersections in the central Osunjela, Iragbiji and among other cities that people
area such as (Oja-Oba, Gbona and Oke Fia) do not have come daily to carry out their transaction. This is shown in
either an overpass or underpass to facilitate a smooth Table 3 as the presence of many urban sprawl around
flow of traffic. There is limited parking space, especially in Osogbo also constitute to traffic congestion in the area.
the CBD, which forces some of the road users to park on Therefore, there is a need to make provisions for people
roadsides thus reducing the road capacity by making the in the neighborhood cities to reduce mobility to the centre
roads even much narrower. All these factors exacerbate of Osogbo.
 Owolabi et al. 7

Figure 6. Trend of population growth for Osogbo. Source: National Population Commission, 2023.

Table 3. Physical planning implication of traffic congestion in the study area.

Physical planning implication of traffic congestion Mean Rank

st
Population increase 4.16 1
rd
Urban sprawl 3.80 3
th
Lack of overall physical plan and development control 3.76 4
nd
Inadequate road infrastructure and parking facilities 4.04 2
th
Poor public transport 3.74 5
th
Poor road network 2.29 6
Source: Author’s Field Survey, 2023.

Public transport in the city of Osogbo is poor due to the the central area of Osogbo and has led to several socio-
low quality of services provided by the minibuses (known economic and environmental impacts. The nature and
as Korope), tricycles and motorcycles. Public service is dynamics of traffic congestion are more or less similar as
poor due to several factors including limited spatial in many other cities of the country. In the central area of
coverage provided by minibuses, lack of fixed bus time Osogbo congestion is contributed by several factors
schedules, overcrowding and at times not adhering to including population increase, expansion of city
scheduled bus routes. Services provided by cyclists are boundaries, economic growth, an increase in the number
poor because of rough riding leading to a high rate of of cars, poor road infrastructure, city physical structure,
accidents. In addition, poor public transport is contributed lack of updated master plan and poor development
by the city being predominantly served by minibuses control, driver’s attitude, passenger’s attitude and on-
instead of regular buses, which are not comfortable to street parking. Road rehabilitation, construction of
some of the commuters but the ‘Korope’ drivers who are overhead bridges and use of state enforcement at some
only after their purses and not the comfort of the markets are the main strategies applied by the Osun
passengers. Poor public transport forces several Osogbo state government to control congestion. These strategies
dwellers who can afford cars to opt to use private have not provided the desired results due to a number of
vehicles instead of public transport. This was also in line reasons such as a rapid increase in population and cars,
with the result of finding as poor public transport ranked rapid growth of existing commercial activities along the
th
5 with a mean value of 3.74. central area of Osogbo and non-application of physical
planning as a key tool for traffic congestion minimization.
So to enjoy a sustainable transport system there is a
CONCLUSION AND POLICY RECOMMENDATION need for public enlightenment / regular education of road
users in the study area on the need to use traffic control
Traffic congestion is a serious and growing problem in devices. There is also a need to decongest activities in
 Net J Soc Sci 8

the central area of Osogbo to reduce the number of travel Wang, G., Gao, Z., Xu, M., and Sun, H. (2014). Joint link-based credit
charging and road capacity improvement in continuous network
to the area, construct proper and consistent bus terminals
design problem. Transportation Research Part A, 67, 1-4.
which are not too far apart within the city, Enforce the use Ye, S. (2012). Research on urban road traffic congestion charging
of alternate routes to minimize the number of traffic within based on sustainable development. 2012 International Conference
the city centre during the peak hour of the day. It is on Applied Physics and Industrial Engineering. Physics Procedia, pp.
1567-1572. doi: https://doi.org/10.1016/j.phpro.2012.02.231
recommended to provide a parking plaza strategically
within the area to curb the problem of on-street parking.

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