Performance Assessment of Motorcycle Operation, as a Means of Urban Mobility in Lokoja, Nigeria

摘要

Motorcycles contribute significantly to the number of automobiles on the roads in Lokoja, Nigeria. This scenario is attributable to pitiable public transport supply and bad roads that are synonymous to the country Nigeria. Motorcycles are the major means of urban mobility in Lokoja due to the fact that the available taxies within the town operate within a designed route only (Felele-Army Barrack and Ganaja-Felele, vice-versa). The situations have led to high increases in the number of motorcycle operators and patronages in Lokoja. To this fact, the paper assessed motorcycle operation as means of urban mobility in Lokoja. The study was conducted using questionnaires and field observation to collect the required data. Data were also collected from the Federal Road Safety Commission and Commercial Motorcycle Association of Nigeria, Lokoja to compliment the data collected from the commercial motorcycle operators and passengers in the study area. The weekly records of movement were sourced from Okada Riders Association in Lokoja. A total of 1125 commercial operators and 4000 commuters were arrived, while 10% of the populations were sampled. Altogether 113 commercial motorcycle operators and 400 passengers were sampled respectively and this amounted to 513 samples. Descriptive statistics such as frequency counts and percentages were employed in the data analysis. Findings revealed that unemployment situation in the state have led many people, particularly the youth, into the commercial motorcycle operation in the city and the ability to provide door-to-door service have made many people patronize commercial motorcycle in the area. On this note, Government should create more job opportunities, introduce the use of three wheel cycles and improve on the operational efficiencies of city taxies which will go a long way in reducing road accidents and thus reducing the influx of commercial motorcycles.