Causes_of_Traffic_Congestion_A_Case_Stud
Causes_of_Traffic_Congestion_A_Case_Stud
Causes_of_Traffic_Congestion_A_Case_Stud
| DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2022.111151 |
ABSTRACT: Traffic congestion is one of the most conspicuous dimensions that require compressive planning by Kampala
City Authority. The number of vehicles in the central business district has more than tripled in the last twenty years, yet the
roads have changed very little. The situation is often worse during the early morning and evening hours of the day where
people are rushing for work and back home respectively. This study therefore was a study on traffic congestion control and
modeling using a case study of Jinja road in central division Kampala city, Uganda. The study was guided by three different
objectives which included to find out the causes of traffic congestion on Jinja road central division of Kampala city. The
data was collected using questionnaires which asked respondents to report attitudes, experiences, and demographics in
relation to traffic congestion and implementation of traffic management. The study further employed purposive sampling
and random sampling strategies. From the study, it was found out that traffic congestion has been caused by numerous
factors including few lanes, reckless drivers, VIP movements especially for political leaders, overtime increase of cars,
increased population and poor management by traffic officers. However, strategic solutions have been suggested through
modeling and these included road widening, building and encouraging bypasses and traffic management with strict laws.
Controlling congestion is a constant, never-ending endeavor.
KEYWORDS: Control, Different roads, National authority, Quantitative survey, Traffic congestion, Traffic management
I. INTRODUCTION
Worldwide, the congestion problem is a common problem among developed and underdeveloped countries [1]. During the
past few decades, there has been rapid growth of demand for road transport and in particular, road traffic volume has
increased significantly during this period, which reflects increasing economic activity, population and car ownership [2].
According to the [3], traffic measured in vehicle kilometres was around 50 billion in 1950, and this figure increases to 400
billion in 1990, more than 450 billion in 2000 and over 500 billion by 2008. Increase in road transport has brought benefits
to society in terms of mobility and accessibility, it also however has costs which environmental and economical mainly
caused due to traffic congestion. In developed countries, social, economic, and environmental impacts of traffic congestion
in recent years are quite significant and this is witnessed in the densely populated areas where the extensive amount of
delay and cost due to congestion affects the urban transportation system considerably [4] In 2014, traffic congestion cost
people in the United States a total of $160 billion from 6.9 billion extra hours traveled and 3.1 billion additional gallons of
fuel purchased [5]. This happens because the existing roadways cannot accommodate the increasing number of
automobiles. According to the [3], over the next 10 years, the most congested 25 cities of the U.S. were estimated to cost
the drivers $480 billion due to lost time, wasted fuel, and carbon emitted during congestion [6] This loss is also affecting
the global economy to a great extent. In 2018, it was found that the total cost of lost productivity in the U.S. caused by
congestion is $87 billion.
| DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2022.111151 |
In terms of transportation technology and policy, Africa lags behind developed countries and transport congestion in Sub-
Saharan African cities is on the rise with some cites approaching gridlock [7]. Different reports show that road safety,
traffic congestion, urban air pollution, road maintenance, accessibility and mobility problems are the key challenges for
Sub-Saharan African. Rural to urban migration has contributed to a rapid expansion of cities, increasing levels of poverty
and the proliferation of slums. These factors have resulted in a widening gap between urban transport supply and demand
which has led to a rise in the number of motor vehicles hence traffic congestion.
Traffic congestion in Sub- Saharan Africa is generally attributed to the aging physical transportation infrastructure such as
the conditions of roads, highways, or bridges are often [8]. However, congestion is also partly responsible for accelerating
the physical degradation of transportation infrastructure, and consequently for reducing the transportation network
performance. Several recovery strategies have been developed by African countries to improve the damaged network
performance but the most of the strategies are not sufficient or even might not be applicable for congested road traffic
conditions [9]. In order to ensure a sustainable and resilient transportation system, multi-disciplinary mitigation actions on
combating road traffic congestions will be a necessity.
In East Africa, urban areas experience a lot of vehicular congestion and traffic jams which cost US millions of dollars every
day through wasted time, environmental pollution, and increased stress [10]. In Kenya, the City of Nairobi is no exception
and due to this a "Transport and Urban Decongestion Committee" was set up by Governor Evans Kidero to look into the
best solutions to deal with Nairobi's congestion. Frustrated drivers in Kenya have been venting their anger after spending
hours overnight in an enormous traffic jam in the capital, Nairobi. In Tanzania, traffic congestion is one of the major
problems facing Dar es Salaam City and is attributed by a number of factors including rapid population increase, inadequate
and poor road infrastructure, city structure, rapid increase in number of cars and lack of physical plan to control city
development.
Uganda has overtime experienced high levels of rural-urban migration, making mobility in the capital city challenging and
increasing traffic congestion in urban areas [11]. Most urban streets are observed to be highly flooded streets with Boda-
bodas, many private cars and public transport vehicles which are caught-up in traffic jams that delay people to arrive at
their destinations, and costs the economy about shs 500M (150,000 euro) every day [3]. Whereas there is an existing
transport strategy emphasizes that need to provide quality, quantity, cost – effectiveness, efficiency and sustainable
transport infrastructure and services [12] conversely, to a surprise the Ugandan transport atmosphere is surrounded by
challenges on access, development and sustainability thus blocking the state to live above a fully developed and sustainable
national transport mechanism for all by 2050.
In Kampala the capital city of Uganda road transport infrastructure is faced by a significant number of challenges with
traffic management and the city is characterized by heavy and chaotic traffic Jam. The main transport system in the
Kampala metropolitan is largely covered by public transport, predominately 14-seat-minibuses and motor cycles. In this
city, transport facilities take care of less than 10% of the urban people and 90% who walk and cycle does not have adequate
facilities. Kampala’s traffic jams delays people to arrive at their destinations whereby for example during peak hours given
that half of the 375,324 vehicles registered in 2008 are in Kampala, and each uses a minimum of one ltr of petrol in traffic
jam every day, at shs. 3500 (1.2 Euro) per ltr. This translates into losses of more than sh500m (150.000 euro) per day [13].
revealed that congestion can be categorized into recurrent and non- recurrent congestion. Recurrent congestion is caused by
factors that relate to rapid growth in population, urbanization and related growth in car ownership and use. Recurrent
congestion occurs mainly when there are too many vehicles at the same time, consequently reducing traffic speed and
increasing personal commuting time. This occurs typically during peak hours but can also occur off- peak i.e. at other
weekday hours and during the weekend. On the other hand, non-recurrent congestion is associated with random conditions
or special. The main objectives as to find out the causes of traffic congestion on Jinja road central division of Kampala
City.
| DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2022.111151 |
queue. The outflow of the queue is given by the infrastructure (it is the outflow capacity of the bottleneck, whereas the
inflow is the flow towards the bottleneck. The number of vehicles in the queue represents the change in the number of
vehicles in the queue likely to evolve in this way until the queue has completely disappeared. [15] revealed that rapid
growth in population, urbanization and globalization cause a lot of pressure elasticity on the transport networks worldwide
thus affecting citizenry social, economic and environmental sustainability with over estimate of up to $30 trillion spent on
infrastructure in the sector with large budget votes and resources directed on transport. [16] According to the state of
Environment Report for Uganda 2008, the jam in the Metropolitan city was reported to be arising from huge increase in
motorization that never matched proportionately with infrastructure facilities. In their study, [17] connote that traffic
congestion happened in Hangzhou, is partly caused by the growing number of these three kinds of population, which
encourages further growing of transportation in different ways. In general, the growth of permanent residents created more
private cars; the growth of mobile population increased the number of electronic bicycles and public transit, since mobile
population mostly came from relatively poor areas and they earned lower income in Hangzhou; and the growth of tourists
put much more pressure on public transits system also, as most tourists come from other cities to Hangzhou, and they
usually travel by public buses or taxi in Hangzhou urban districts.
According to [12] another factor for the increased traffic congestion is that older, established cities were laid out physically
in pre-automotive eras; hence they lack streets and roads suitable for handling automobiles, trucks, and buses. Enlarging the
capacity of streets in old city for automotive traffic is widely opposed by local residents, since their dwellings would be
torn down by widening streets. Therefore, the growth of road capacity does not catch up with growth of vehicles and this
mismatch could cause lots of vehicles blocked on narrow roads. [14],[15] propounded that the mingling of many different
modes of movement on the same roads as a cause of congestion in developing nations. The mix of old and new transport
technologies, highlighted by the shared use of road space by fast moving motorized vehicles and slow-moving human-
powered and animal-drawn vehicles (such as rickshaws, hand drawn carts and animal drawn vehicles), typifies many street
scenes of the Third world. [18] expounds that urban dwellers in both developed countries and developing countries tend to
make full use of their daylight time and they usually go out in the early morning between 7:00 and 9:00am and back home
between 4:00 and 7:00pm. So, traffic congestions in modern metropolises usually appear in rush hours, which are in the
morning between 7:00 to 9:00 a.m. and in the afternoon between 4:00 to 7:00.
III. METHODOLOGY
The study specifically focused on determining the causes of traffic congestion on Jinja road in Kampala Capital City,
assessing the effects of traffic congestion and developing a model that can be used by transport planners to reduce traffic
congestion Jinja road in Kampala Capital City. The study was conducted on Jinja Jinja road which stretches from Kampala,
Uganda's capital and largest city, connecting the city to Jinja. It is a highway is an all-weather tarmac single carriageway
road in good condition. This study was limited to a segment on jinja road which stretches from Lugogo to the electoral
commission as shown in Fig. 1 and Fig.2.
| DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2022.111151 |
Fig. 1. showing the junction with 4 access roads along the on observed points along Jinja road
Fig.2. showing the round bout with 4 access roads along the on observed points along Jinja road
The study was conducted for a period of 10 months i.e. October 2021 to July 2022. With observations on the roads for 3
days to clearly track the traffic incidents as they occur at peak and non-peak hours. The study included 100 pedestrians, 100
drivers, 100 motorcycle riders, 20 traffic police officers and 3 KCCA engineers who operated along Jinja and Entebbe
roads. The Fig. 3. is conceptual framework developed to indicate clear links of independent variable (factors) and
dependent variable (Traffic congestion) whilst presenting the moderating variables like Government, policies.
| DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2022.111151 |
Speed of vehicle
Road capacity
Travel time on a specific road
Parking management and segment
control Delay rate
Design of roads. Congested hours
s
Population growth
INTERVENING VARIABLES
- Government policies
The study used purposive sampling and random sampling strategies. Purposive sampling, also known as judgmental,
selective, or subjective sampling, is a form of non-probability sampling in which researchers rely on their own judgment
when choosing members of the population to participate in their surveys. Random sampling was also followed on who
driver, rider or police office to include, whomever we got across and volunteers to participate in the study were included in
the study.
Data from the field was compiled, sorted, edited and coded to have the required quality, accuracy and completeness. Then it
will be entered into the computer using a statistical computer package known as SPSS for analysis. During the analysis of
the data, descriptive statistics will be used to present the results of the sample characteristics.
| DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2022.111151 |
Thematic analysis was adopted since it emphasized pinpointing, examining, and recording patterns within data. Field notes
from interviews was compiled and edited at the end of each working day to ensure accuracy in recording and consistency of
information given by respondents. The analysis constituted themes which were patterns across data sets that are important
to the description of the relevant phenomena and then put in coding categories.
The research attained data about the causes through use of questionnaires, interviews and observations. Frequency,
percentages, means and standard deviation was used in analyzing causes of traffic congestion on Jinja road central division
of Kampala City. Options from close ended questionnaires were categorized, pre-coded and then on obtaining data, it was
entered into the analysis software (SPSS) after which analysis results were obtained in form of means and standard
deviation. Post-coding was used for open questions and the data presented in form of graphs, charts and tables.
The study also explored the category of respondents that were involved in the study. The findings are presented in Table 2.
Results in Table 2 indicated the distribution of respondents among different categories. It indicates that (33.3%) of the
respondents were pedestrians, other 33.3% respondents were drivers while other 33.3% were motorcyclists. The
involvement of respondents from different categories helped the study to attain a justification in relation to traffic
congestion and its causes.
The proportion of respondents basing on their gender was established as presented in Fig.4.
| DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2022.111151 |
As indicated in Fig.2 above, (61%) of the respondents were male while (39%) were female. This shows that male
respondents’ views dominated the study, although both gender was involved and therefore the study was gender sensitive
in data collection. This helped to obtain gender-perspectives regarding the study variables. Male respondents were the
majority and this was attributed to the fact that most cyclists and drivers are men.
Age of the respondents was considered useful for explaining their experience about road projects. Findings on this aspect
are presented in Fig.5.
Results in Fig. 5 show that most (36.3%) of the respondents were aged 31-40 years and above, these were followed by
21.7% who belonged to the age range of 41-50, 20.7% were in the age group of 21-30, then 14.7% were below 20 years
above whereas the minority (6.7%) of the respondents were below 20 years of age. Different respondents with different
ages provided varying perspectives in relation to the study under investigation thus obtaining unbiased data.
The study sought to find out the qualifications (highest held) by respondents. The distribution obtained is shown in Table.3.
The results reveal that the highest proportion of the respondents, 127(42.3%) had attained secondary education, these were
followed by 25.7% who had studied up to tertiary level, 23.7 percent had attained only primary education whereas the
minority (8.0%) of the respondents who never had attained only non-formal education. This distribution of respondents was
a clear representation of the sample since more respondents that are educated implied a higher ability to provide more
reliable responses and fact-based results.
| DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2022.111151 |
Empirical findings
Causes of traffic congestion on Jinja road central division of Kampala City.
The results were focused on identifying the causes of traffic congestion on Jinja road central division of Kampala City.
Questionnaire items on the above objective were weighed on a 5-point Likert scale of SA= Strongly Agree, A=Agree,
NS=Not Sure, Disagree = D SD=Strongly Disagree. They were scored as 5,4,3,2 and 1 respectively for further analysis. An
average for relative importance index was computed. The relative importance index analysis and the results of the findings
are presented in Table 4.
Table 4: Causes of traffic congestion on Jinja road central division of Kampala City
An average of relative importance index value was computed and obtained result as 0.647. Any relative index value below
the average had an importance level “Low” while above as “High”. The study findings as reflected in Table 4 indicate that
majority of the respondents agreed that traffic congestion has been caused by the few lanes which accommodate the big
number of vehicles and motorcycles moving along the road. This is indicated with a relative importance index of 0.800.
This aspect also attracted an importance level of “High” which supported its significance on traffic congestion. This
implied that roads have not been expanded on the rate compared to the increase in number of cars the city.
In regards to results in Table 4 it was identified that traffic congestion has been influenced by more people owning cars but
the number of roads and the size have not been modified to match the increasing number of cars. revealed by a relative
importance index of 0.743, and this had a corresponding overall ranking of 2 which implied that there was a high level of
impact in relation to traffic congestion. This shows that the government has not reliably planned for the dynamic increase
in people owning cars. From the study findings, increased population in Kampala with increased number of as a cause for
traffic congestion, was regarded to be highly significant. This is indicated by the relative index value of 0.729. The cause
was ranked 3 in relation to the participants’ views and opinions. This meant that the increase in number of travelers has
triggered the need for more passenger cars resulting into an increased number of cars that eventually cause traffic
congestion.
| DOI:10.15680/IJIRSET.2022.111151 |
From Table 4, it was found out and deduced that some drivers have a bad driving behavior and even don’t respect traffic
rules. This is indicated by a relative importance index (RII) of 0.657 which attracted point 4 of overall ranking. This implies
that the presence of bad drivers was a leading factor to increased traffic congestion. It also summons the government to
revise and formulate a systematic format of ensuring that all drivers have driving licenses and certificates that affirms that
they are experienced and have knowledge about deriving rules. With consideration to results in Table 4 shows that poor
management by traffic officers caused the contestant traffic congestion along Jinja highway however it had a low impact
(RII=0.544). This aspect attracted an importance level “low” which depicted that there was a variation among the generated
responses. This implied that to a larger extent, traffic congestion along Jinja highway has not been necessarily caused by
control failure. In addition to the above, studies indicated that to some extent, in the morning and evening, traffic
congestion has been increased by the VIP movements especially for political/government leaders. This was indicated by a
relative importance index (RII) of 0.523 which gained position 4 of the overall ranking. This implies that VIP movements
cannot be regarded as a major cause for traffic congestion along Jinja-High way. In addition to the above, results in Table 4
indicated that most respondents rejected the assertion that the road was in band condition with potholes and uneven road
surface. This was clarified by a relative importance index of 0.431 and this had a corresponding overall ranking of 7 which
implied that there was a high level of disagreement withing the respondents. This implies that Jinja road in central division
Kampala city barely has pot holes and the biggest part of the road is in good condition.
V. CONCLUSION
From the study, it was found out that traffic congestion has been caused by numerous factors including few lanes,
reckless drivers, VIP movements especially for political leaders, overtime increase of cars, increased population and poor
management by traffic officers. However, strategic solutions have been suggested through modeling and these included
road widening, building and encouraging bypasses and traffic management with strict laws. Controlling congestion is a
constant, never-ending endeavor. There are tools available for this goal, some of which are more effective and more widely
accepted than others, but in order to avoid the possibility of giving in to the modern scourge of traffic congestion, a set of
actions that have the support of the local populace is also required.
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