Tackling Challenges Of Urban Mobility

The United Nations drew attention to a very
salient but often overlooked aspect of urban
habitation when it focused the celebration of this year’s World Habitat Day on the need to improve urban mobility. Indeed, any housing effort that discounts access only mocks itself.
Nigeria also joined other member-nations of the United Nations to celebrate the day on October 7, being the first Monday of October set aside by the UN to celebrate and draw attention to the housing needs of human beings across the world every year.
Having advocated for the development of cities and more urban centres to meet contemporary needs of man in previous celebrations, it is only appropriate that some of the challenges of urbanisation were highlighted and addressed. Incidentally, such problems are many, especially in developing nations.
Speaking at an event to mark this year’s World Habitat Day, with the theme, ‘Improving Urban Mobility’, Secretary-General of the United Nations Mr. Ban Ki-Moon said, “getting mobility right can mean the difference between a struggling city and a thriving one”. He added that improved mobility can regenerate urban centres, boost productivity and make cities attractive for all users.
He, however, explained that mobility is not a question of building wider or longer roads, but about providing appropriate and efficient systems that serve most people in the best and most equitable manner. This, he said, would include alternative methods of transportation like bicycles, buses and trains.
Like the Secretary-General, experts on the subject agree that an efficient mobility system can also tackle problems of pollution, congestion, as well as access for all categories of people and make cities work for its inhabitants. Indeed, the need to bring people, places and services together in a most efficient way cannot be over-emphasised.
This is why governments, organizations and individuals across the world need to give attention to the human living environment, especially because of the impact it can have on life, health and the economy. Clearly, urban centres with failed mobility can only amount to the development of avoidable massive slums.
In cites like Lagos, Ibadan and Port Harcourt, the problem of mobility has become part of life of their inhabitants. The resultant pollution, congestion and slum mentality have become frightening. Even worse is the danger it poses to public utilities and the loss of man-hours as people struggle for precious hours in traffic just to get to the work place late and tired.
Whereas, the call was for the provision of alternative methods of mobility is good for the developing world emphasis should be on the development of plans and policies that would address the problem. This is moreso because a lot of urban centres were not planned in the first place, while new centres need to be planned to accommodate current concerns.
Subsequently, deliberate steps should be taken to diversify the mode and means of transportation. While it has become imperative to encourage the development of rail, buses and the likes, effort should not be spared at establishing efficient linkages by water as is being done in parts of Lagos.
In Rivers State, the present administration under Rt Hon Chibuike Rotimi Amaechi has started a monorail project that is expected to complement the aggressive road development and urban renewal programmes aimed at facilitating efficient urban mobility. Indeed, the Greater Port Harcourt Development project most effectively targets this concern.
It would be recalled that one of the greatest steps taken by the Rivers State Government to make for a saner and safer urban mobility was the banning of the use of motor cycles in Port Harcourt and its adjoining four local government areas. Its benefits are so enormous, clear and commendable.
While we expect successive administrations in Rivers State to complete and even extend the monorail programme, the need to create new and multiple linkages within and between the city and the rural areas has become rather compelling. Another crying demand is the interconnectivity of rural communities as expressed by the Andoni/Opobo Unity Road and the proposed Trans-Kalabari Road.
We also recall the plan to build a ring-road for Port Harcourt some years ago that was expected to put paid to the suffocating traffic in the city. The need for that project still breathes and pushes for attention. In the same category is the need to develop effective water-ways transportation system that can take people safely and quickly to different parts of the city.
Much as housing deficit remains a major challenge all over Nigeria, the mobility factor is so critical that it must be made to find expression in every plan. This can be best appreciated when some Rivers people reminisce about the days of TATA buses and Riv-line train services in Port Harcourt.