Urbanization and the Challenges of Sustainable Transportation: A Developing Country Perspective

Yakubu A. Bununu, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Ahmad-Nazri Ludin, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia
Nafisa Hosni, Universiti Teknologi Malaysia

A major requirement in the development of a sustainable urban transportation system is the reduction of automobile dependence. This paper focuses on the ownership and use of private vehicles in the city of Kaduna in North West Nigeria. Data for the study was obtained through a city-wide socio-demographic and household travel characteristics survey that made use of structured questionnaires and the analysis employed was mainly descriptive statistical analyses. The results show a high level of private vehicle ownership and use among the sampled population in Kaduna. Comparisons between the results for Kaduna and the situation that obtains in some North American and Australian cities that highlighted differences and similarities were undertaken and lessons were drawn. The paper concludes with a discussion on the peculiarities of private vehicle ownership in Kaduna and the prospects as well as challenges in developing a sustainable transportation future for the city.