ARTERIAL ROADS IN THE INTRA-URBAN NETWORK OF IKEJA.
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 Background to the Study
Transportation and property are important in physical and economic development of
towns and cities all over the world. Property and land values tend to increase in areas
with expanding transportation networks, and increase less rapidly in areas without
such improvements. Rapid and continued rise in housing and land prices are expected
in cities with transportation improvements and rapid economic and population growth
(Goldberg, 1970).
Man, nations, regions and the world would be severely limited in development
without transportation, which is a key factor for physical and economic growth
(Oyesiku, 2002). Transportation systems and land use are interdependent. Indeed
findings of earlier studies indicate compelling and consistent connections amongst
them (Ewing and Cervero, 2001; Polzin, 2004). According to Bailey, Mokhtarian, and
Littlel (2008), transportation route is part of distinct development pattern or road
network and mostly described by regular street patterns as an indispensable factor of
human existence, development and civilization. The route network coupled with
increased transport investment result in changed levels of accessibility reflected
through Cost Benefit Analysis, savings in travel time, and other benefits. These
benefits are noticeable in increased catchment areas for services and facilities like
shops, schools, offices, banks, and leisure activities.
Road networks are observed in terms of its components of accessibility,
connectivity, traffic density, level of service, compactness, and density of particular
roads. Level of service is a measure by which the quality of service on transportation
devices or infrastructure is determined, and it is a holistic approach considering
several factors regarded as measures of traffic density and congestion rather than
overall speed of the journey (Mannering, Walter, and Scott, 2004).
Access to major roads provides relative advantages consequent upon which
commercial users locate to enjoy the advantages. Modern businesses, industries,
trades and general activities depend on transport and transport infrastructure, with
movement of goods and services from place to place becoming vital and inseparable
aspects of global and urban economic survival. Developments of various
transportation modes have become pivotal to physical and economic developments.
Such modes include human porterage, railways, ropeways and cableways, pipelines,
inland waterways, sea, air, and roads (Said and Shah, 2008).
