TOWARDS EFFICIENT APPLICATION OF SPEED-BUMPS AS TRAFFIC CALMING DEVICE IN SAKI WEST LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA OF OYO STATE, NIGERIA.

Akanmu, A. A., Alabi, F. M. and Agboola, O. D.

Department of Urban and Regional Planning,

The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Nigeria.

E-mail: ademolakanmu@gmail.com 

ABSTRACT

Driving in urban centers and neighbourhoods at high speed without regard to the safety of the inhabitants brought about the emergence of the use of speed bump and other calming devises. It is in view of this assertion that this study appraised the location and implementation impact of speed bumps in Nigerian urban centers, using Saki West Local Government Area of Oyo State as a reference point. The paper is anchored on the neurofuzzy concept to the design of road bumps and considered the effect of road bumps in the society as a whole. Using questionnaire as research instrument, 220 units of questionnaires were administered to randomly selected residents of the purposively selected areas in Saki West Local Government Area of Oyo State. Also, fifteen residential streets and four other major roads were purposively selected for this study. The paper established the indiscriminate mounting of speed bumps in the area by residents and community, irrespective of the functional classification of roads, and without recourse to statutory regulations and procedures. It also confirms that speed bumps in the study area are conical with irregular heights, width and length. Although the speed bumps improved safety in the areas, yet their perceived adverse effects on the passing vehicles, commuters and residents are enormous. In addition, the substandard and uncontrolled manners in which speed bumps are located and constructed in the study area have derogatory implications on their effectiveness as traffic calming toolbox. The correlation coefficient ‘r’ shows a very strong positive relationship (r = 0.85) between the height of speed bumps in the study area and rate of vehicular passage. While the paper is of the view that the design and construction of speed bumps should be a responsibility of the local government as practiced in developed nations, it also recommended the redesigning of the existing speed bumps with heights in excess of 21cm, subjection of the design and construction of future speed bumps to procedures and regulations, public enlightenment and sanctions on the arbitrary mounting of speed bumps in the area and other across the country as a whole.