Abstract

Inter-urban transportation refers to the movement of people and goods from one urban area to another in a giving country or region. Inter-urban transportation is inevitably important because it connect places.

This study was aimed to analyzed inter-urban transportation problems in Bamenda, the case of Mobile Nkwen and Hospital Round About in the Bamenda III and Bamenda II municipalities. Methodology involved the collection of both primary and secondary data. Data were analyses using the descriptive methods.

The main finding of the research reveal that, there exist inter-urban transportation challenges in Mobile Nkwen and Hospital Round About in Bamenda and the managements strategies been put in place by the council are not sustainable as the problem persist. Therefore, other sustainable planning and management strategies were proposed at the conclusion and recommendation of this work.

stainable planning and Management.

CHAPTER ONE

GENERAL INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background To The Study

Transportation is an aspect that is concern with mobility, particularly how this mobility is taking place in the content of a wide variety of conditions. Mobility is a geographical endeavor since it trades space for a cost. The purpose for transportation is to overcome space, which is shape by a variety of human and physical constraints such as distance, time, administrative decisions and topography (Jean et al, 2006).

In the space of just a few decades, urban areas across the world, in both developed and developing countries have become increasingly automobile-dominated and less sustainable. In the developing countries in particular, cities have experienced a rapid growth in transport-related challenges, including pollution, congestion, accidents, public transport decline, environmental degradation, climate change, energy depletion, visual intrusion, and lack of accessibility for the urban poor.

In the more developed countries, particularly in Northern Europe, some cities have witnessed a trend of reclaiming urban space from the automobile and prohibiting cars from major parts of downtown areas and confining them in other ways.

Today, these places are often considered as leading examples of sustainable urban development, as cities across the world strive to meet urban sustainability standards by improving public transport, encouraging non-motorized modes, creating pedestrian zones, limiting the use of private cars, and otherwise trying to undo the transformation of cities caused by automobile dominance.

Concepts of automobile restraint that were unthinkable just a few decades ago are now being considered or even adopted in many urban areas around the globe, both north and south, with the encouragement and support of major international organizations (Dorina and Dominic, 2015).

Increasing value of time in modern society has brought high speed railway and air transport to the forefront of today’s inter-urban transport. Japan for example, with the advent of Shinkasen in 1964, has high speed railways in inter-city travel. This was follow by other European countries, South Korea and USA who also introduced high speed inter urban transport (Katsuhiro and Kiyoshi, 2009).

The urbanization of Cameroon during the 20𝑡ℎand 21𝑡ℎ century has led to the emergence of new towns and cities all over the country. This was also follow by increased in human activities, the dominant being agriculture, follow by commercial and tertiary activities. All these activities in the different towns and cities in Cameroon have great need for transportation for their operation.

The town of Bamenda is one of the largest cities in Cameroon. Around 1899, it emerges as the largest urban area in the western highlands of Cameroon. This was continuously follow by an increase in urbanization of the neighboring town around it putting a high demand on access road which was due to the continuous increase and numerous human activities. As a result, inter-urban transportation problems emerged.

Regional Hospital Round About and Mobile Nkwen are two of the busiest and most active areas in Bamenda due to their geographical location as gate ways to many towns and villages in the northwest and beyond. Inter-urban transportation problems in the form of traffic congestion, illegal of loading and offloading, non-legalized human activities especially informal sector activities which are very dominant and other legalized human activities are common in these areas.

1.2. Statement of the Problem

Transportation is a very important activity in the tertiary sector of Bamenda. This explains why there exists numerous travel agencies, public parks and checks points all over the town of Bamenda. Inter-urban transportation is a common phenomenon in the city. However, the activity is plague by numerous challenges, ranging from traffic congestion, parking scarcity, car dependency and many others. These problems are common in areas like Mobile Nkwen and Hospital Round About.

Traffic congestion for example, have become a daily problem in Hospital Round About and Mobile Nkwen. Also with the increasing urbanization of the town of Bamenda, new roads have been constructed linking the neighboring interior villages to the center of the city.

These has cause vast movement of people to the city center of Bamenda for different economic, socio-cultural and political reasons. This has also caused the demand of urban transportation high, leading to the increase in the numbers of motor bikes, taxis and buses along main road junction of Mobile Nkwen and Hospital round about. As a result, poor traffic flow has become dominant in these areas.

Furthermore, the rapid growth of the city of Bamenda makes it difficult for a single park to support the large number of vehicles which come from different urban areas in Cameroon. As a result, new parks have been created, some towards the periphery and other travel agencies have emerged close to road junction. This has result to limited parking space, illegal loading and offloading and clandestine activities.

1.3. Presentation Of The Internship Institution

The internship was carried out in the Bamenda City Council (BCC) in the Department of Urban Development and Technical service from the 16th of August to the 16th of September 2017.

1.3.1 Historical Background of the Bamenda City Council

The Bamenda City Council began in the 1960s. In 1962 the Ngemba council was carved out of Widikum council to cater for the Ngemba tribe of Mezam Division, which are Mankon, Nsongwa, Mbafu, Mundum, Pinyin and Awing with Mankon as the headquarters. The council was responsible for the Local administration of the lower and upper Ngemba tribes. In 1964, Mankon urban town council was born out of the Ngemba Council to serve the urban area of Mankon which include areas like Ntambeng, Ntamulung, Mulang, Musang, etc. In 1968, the name was change from The Mankon urban town Council to Makon Area council with president being Fon A.N Angwafor III.

In 1972 after the referandum of the United Republics of Cameroon, the name of the council was change to the Mankon Rural Council. The status of the council was then raised from rural to urban. It was then called the Bamenda Urban Council (BUC), with special status to be appointed by the state. The Nkwen and Mendankwe council, which were formerly under the Tubah Council were brought to join the Bamenda Urban council.

The presidential decree of 17𝑡ℎ January 2008 which dissolved the urban status of the council to the City council led to the formation of Bamenda 1, 2, 3 and Bamenda City Council from the defunct of Bamenda Urban Council (BUC). On the bases of the decree of 6/02/09, Mr. Vincent Nji Ndumu become the pioneer Goverment delegate to the Bamenda City Council with the challenge of charting a new way forward and towards a city that will be the dream of all.

1.3.2    Departments of The Bamenda City Council

1.3.2.1 The Department of Urban development

The internship was carried out in the department of urban development. This department is headed by a director. This department offer four services that is, the service of planning and architect and building permits, hygiene and sanitation, city greening and environmental protection and the service of transport and traffic control. This is a very challenging department and have an ever increasing task of checking clandestine construction, that is the construction of houses in and around the city of Bamenda. It is also unfortunate to recall that most of the houses in Bamenda and other cities around Cameroon were constructed without proper town planning.

The state of Cameroon frown seriously against the wanton construction of houses around marshy areas. This is so because the risk involved is always too heavy and costly to be borne by individuals. Such marshy areas are site where floods and all types of troubles take place. Land deed are never granted in such areas so it is the role of the department of urban development to check and pre-empt the construction of houses in this area. All building permits are issued here after being approved by the building permits consultation.

This board makes assessment on the said building site and an evaluation on the plan. All of these is done to give directive to the government delegate to comment on the said building plan. Building permits can either be accepted or rejected. Houses without building permits can be marked for demolition by this department without any compensation.

1.3.2.2 The Service of Hygiene and Sanitation

Hygiene and sanitation is another important service of the deparment of urban development. This service is headed by a group of trainned personnel on hygiene and sanitary conditions. They are all they to bring pressure on those who environment are dirty and unhealthy so that they can clean them up. A fine is given as penalty to defaulters after which they have been summoned to the hygiene and sanitation service.

1.3.2.3 The Service of Municipal police

The municipal police is a regulatory force put in place by the state to work alongside the forces of law and order. They are to assist in traffic control and to check vehicles and motor bikes that operate in illegality or do not comply with the City Council rules and regulations. The Municipal police is headed by a police chief and assistant. They are also used for security beefing and shield.

1.3.3 The Internship Activities

The internship was carried out in the department of Urban development from the 16th of August to the 16 of September 2017.

1.3.3.1 The service of Transport and Traffic Control

This service deal with the control of traffic flow in Bamenda to avoid problems of traffic congestion. They are also interested in controlling illegal parking along the road side. Parks and travel agencies were also examined to find out if they are authorized and are operating where they are supposed to. According to rule and regulation said by the council police officer, “all private parks are supposed locates either in a municipal park  or 1km away from a municipal park”.

On the basis of practical during the internship, the intern took a look observed some of these aspects, such as cases of illegal parking and such a situation were found in Mobile Nkwen and Hospital Round About. victims found were ask to pay a fine of 25000FCFA. The intern also visited all the parks and travel agencies in Bamenda such as the Bamenda 1 Motor park, Mile 4 park (Bamenda 3 subdivisional park), Ntaturu motor park, Mile 8 park (Muwatshu park) and the Nitop park. All these parks were created by the government recently or long ago.

1.3.3.2 The Service of Hygiene and Sanitation

Hygiene is the maintenance of health and sanitation is the taking away of waste to keep they environment clean (Hygiene and sanitation officer BCC, 2017). Hygiene focuses more on the human system and sanitation is concerned on the health of the environment.

During the internship, the different aspects of the hygiene of the human body were discuss, taking into consideration, hygiene in our home, restaurants, off licences, carpentary and weardering workshops and the importance of the first aid box. On the basis of pratical the interns visited some resturants like the Oasis garden restuaurant and offlicence like the Nine One One offlicence, weardering and carpentary workshop around City Chemist Bamenda to see if they respect the rule and regulation of hygiene and sanitation.

1.3.3.3 The Service of town planning

Town planning constitute all legislative, regulatory, administrative, technical, economic, social and cultural measures geared toward the harmonious and coherent development of the Human settlement through the judicious used of land, the development of said land and improvement of the living environment as well as economic and Social development (Article 3 of the town planning rule and regulation).

On the basis of practical’s, we visited some areas in Mendankwe and observed cases of the respect and disrespecting building permits. Building already constructed without the authorization by the Building Permits Commission were marked ” B.P BCC final stop, which means see Bamenda City Council for your Building permits. We also observed files to check whether building permits should be granted or not to all who want to undertake in construction.

1.4. Research Questions

1.4.1 Main Research Question

What are the challenges of Inter-Urban transportation in Mobile Nkwen and Hospital Round About in Bamenda?

1.4.2. Specific Questions

1. What is the state of inter-urban transportation in Mobile Nkwen and Hospital Round About in Bamenda?
2. What are the reasons for the growth of inter-urban transportation in Mobile Nkwen and Hospital Round About in Bamenda?
3. What problems plague inter-urban transportation in Mobile Nkwen and Hospital Round About?
4. How are these problems managed and how can they be resolved?

1.5. Objectives Of The Study

1.5.1 Main Objective

To examine the challenges of inter-urban transportation in Mobile Nkwen and Hospital Round About in Bamenda.

1.5.2 Specific Objectives

1. To examine the state of Inter-urban transportation in Mobile Nkwen and Hospital Round About.
2. To determine the reason for growth in Inter-urban transportation in Hospital Round 3) About and Mobile Nkwen in Bamenda.
3. To examine the problems of inter-urban transportation that manifest in Hospital Round About and Mobile Nkwen.
4. To evaluate the current management strategies of the problem and project sustainable planning recommendation.