URBAN ROAD TRAFFIC RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABLE DEVELOPMENT

Urban road traffic has become a major concern in contemporary urban development, particularly in rapidly growing cities where population increases, ill-planned, spatial expansion, motorization, and inadequate transport infrastructure interact to produce persistent congestion.

URBAN ROAD TRAFFIC RESILIENCE AND SUSTAINABLE
DEVELOPMENT IN IBADAN, NIGERIA
OGUNSESAN Durodola Kamoru¹* & OGUNSESAN, Abimbola Simiat²

¹Department of Transport Planning and Management, The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Nigeria
²Department of Urban and Regional Planning, The Polytechnic, Ibadan, Nigeria

*Corresponding author: durodola77@yahoo.com

Abstract

Rapid urbanization, increasing motorization, and growing travel demand have intensified traffic congestion in many Nigerian cities, creating significant challenges for sustainable urban development. This chapter examines the relationship between urban road traffic resilience and sustainable development in Ibadan, Nigeria. It identifies the drivers of congestion and proposes resilience-oriented mobility strategies. A descriptive case study approach was adopted, drawing on field observations, planning documents, government reports, the Ibadan Master Plan, and relevant scholarly literatures. The analysis was guided by the land-use–transport interaction framework, which explains the relationship among urban spatial structure, travel demand, and traffic conditions. The findings indicate that congestion in Ibadan is fundamentally a consequence of the interaction between rapid urban expansion, concentrated land-use activities, infrastructure limitations, public transport inefficiencies, poor parking management, encroachment of commercial activities on roadside, and weak traffic regulation enforcement. Major congestion hotspots were identified along strategic corridors, including Iwo Road–Gate, Dugbe–Mokola, Challenge–Ring Road, and Odo–Sango among others. The study further reveals that persistent congestion reduces accessibility, increases transportation costs, contributes to environmental degradation, and constrains economic productivity, thereby undermining sustainable urban development objectives. Although road rehabilitation, traffic management initiatives, and public transport interventions have produced measurable improvements, their effectiveness remains constrained by underlying spatial and institutional challenges. The study concludes that achieving sustainable development in Ibadan requires a transition from reactive congestion management to integrated, resilience-oriented mobility planning. It argues that resilience-focused transport strategies are essential for improving accessibility, economic productivity, environmental quality, and urban liveability in rapidly growing African cities.

Keywords: Urban road traffic resilience; Sustainable urban development; Ibadan.