Traffic Congestion, Causes and Effect on Residents of Urban Cities in Nigeria

The study examines the effect and causes of traffic congestion in Ibadan city, Nigeria. The study was carried out in three neighbourhoods (Agbowo, Bodija and Agodi Gate) in Ibadan North Local Government Area. Survey approach through questionnaire was used for data collection. 50 respondents were sampled in each of the three neighbourhoods making a total of 150. Descriptive statistics of means, simple percentages and charts were employed in analysing the data collected. Results show that 51.3 % of the respondents spend between 21 minutes and above on congestion daily while 20.7 % spend between 515 minutes and 1.3 % less 5 minutes. It was equally observed that residents in the city spend almost twice the time they would use on their trip from home to office due to traffic congestion. On the temporal and spatial pattern of traffic congestion in the three neighbourhoods, results reveal that Agbowo (65.3 %) recorded the highest traffic congestion in the evening and morning period followed by Bodija (48 %) and Agodi Gate (31. 4%).On ranking of some major routes in the study area on traffic congestion by respondents, Agodi ‐ Iwo Road route ranked highest with a mean value of 1.45 followed by University of Ibadan(U.I) ‐ Bodija- Agodi Gate route with mean value of 1.27 and Sango- Iwo Road 1.03.Further findings are revealed and advice proffered to policy makers and stakeholders for proper decision making and implementation.