Abstract

Cameroon like many other African countries is going through difficult times of ethnic diversity and conflicts. This is evident in the current ongoing Anglophone crisis. The Anglophone crisis in the North West and southwest regions of Cameroon was started by common law lawyers and teachers of the two English-speaking regions in 2016 which later on escalated into an armed conflict.

The anglophone crisis has greatly affected transport service in Bamenda and environs since the beginning of the ongoing conflict till date, causing its low productivity. This research was carried out to examine the extent to which political instability has affected transport services in Bamenda city and its environs in the northwest region of Cameroon.

The objectives of the study were to examine how political instability as impacts the transport services of Bamenda, to evaluate the challenges faced in the transportation of persons in Bamenda, and to examine measures that could be put in place to boast transportation service in Bamenda. Data for this study were obtained with the use of questionnaires

Questionnaires were administered using stratified random sampling which was inter-regional transport agencies, inter-sub divisional drivers including passengers, and government administrative personnel in the transport sector in Bamenda.. Results from this study revealed that states’ political instability has a significant effect on transport services in Bamenda and environs were X2(1)= 49,  p≤ 0.5 Measures that could be put in place to boast transportation service in Bamenda. Challenges faced in the transportation of persons in Bamenda identified were roadblocks (38%), kidnapping (14%), settlement of control at checkpoints (32%), and numerous lockdowns (14%). Measures suggested by respondents to boost transport services in Bamenda were seized fire between government and Amba boys (10%), road construction (12%), reduce control and checkpoints (15%), others (16%), stop the crisis  (47%).

It is recommended that the local population should develop coping strategies such as community development campaigns where the local population carries out local road maintenance activities. The transport sector plays a key role in agricultural, educational, health, and livelihood at such should be given attention to ameliorating the challenges faced by road users and service providers.

CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Back Ground Of The Study

The world is becoming increasingly urbanized and half of humanity now lives in urban areas more than 70% in Latin America, North America, and Europe (UN-Habitat, 2010).  Population in urban areas is expected to double over the next 40 years (Donovan and Munro, 2013). These changes express themselves most evidently in peri-urban areas leading to changes in social patterns in such environments (Owusu, 2008).

Urban agglomerations are focal points in the economic, social, and cultural development of a region, at such triggers spatial interactions due to the range of opportunities this region offers (Mattioli, 2014). These areas have assumed the central stage of physical, social, and economic transformation both in developed and in the developing world (Webster, 2002).

Accelerated urban sprawl results in persistent challenges to a large number of urban areas across developed and developing countries (Aljoufie, 2014). Saudi Arabia along with other Gulf countries has experienced extreme wealth, significant population growth, and increased car ownership since the oil boom in the 1970s, which led towards less sustainable travel patterns such as congestion and air pollution (Aljoufie, 2014).

In practice, interaction strength can be measured by volumes of passengers (Xiao et al., 2013), migration flows (Flowerdew and Lovett (1988), trade flows Spatial interactions between geographical entities such as cities and regions help us to understand the spatial structure of a region and plan an efficient spatial configuration.

Africa has the reputation of being the world‘s leading theatre of conflict (Tangie, 2007). Conflict is said to exist when two or more groups engage in a struggle over values and claims to status, power, and resources in which the aims of the opponents are to neutralize, injure or eliminate the rivals (Jeong, 2000). The conflict thus manifests in disagreement, anger, quarrel, hatred, destruction, killing, or war (Lamb, 2008).

Cameroon like many other African countries is going through difficult times of ethnic diversity and conflicts (Tangie, 2007). This is evident in the current ongoing Anglophone crisis. The Anglophone crisis in the North West and southwest regions of Cameroon was started by common law lawyers and teachers of the two English-speaking regions in 2016. It later escalated into an armed conflict that has precipitated a large influx of Cameroonian refugees into Nigeria and many internally displaced persons (IDPs) all over the country.

The effects of the crisis have caused many people to migrate to less hostile environs within the northwest and southwest region as well as safer spaces (other regions of the country). According to Fombe and Balgah, (2012), the urban population in Cameroon doubled over a period of 30 years from 28.3% in 1976 to 44.3% in 2005.

The urban population especially in the IDPs recipient milieu will continually be on the rise as a result of the Anglophone crisis in the North West and southwest regions of Cameroon. A determining factor of these large concentrations is the availability of a local transportation system. The patterns of development in cities are associated with the growth of urban transport and mobility allowing access for people and goods (Rode et al., 2017).

Public transport which played an essential role in enabling people from low-income and other disadvantaged groups to access employment and services has been affected as a result of the anglophone crises in Bamenda in the North West region of Cameroon. Transport contributes to the development of social networks and social capital, by helping people to visit friends and relatives and take part in the community and other social activities.

According to Torum (2002), the interplay of both “Push and Pull” factors at the points of origin and destination stimulates migrations. The push factors, which cause migration include political fear, lack of food, unemployment, wars, and an unhappy lifestyle.  The World Energy Council (2011, p. 4) summarised that ‘over the next four decades, the global transport sector will face unprecedented challenges related to demographics, urbanization, pressure to minimize and dislocate emissions outside urban centers, congestion of aging transport infrastructure and growth in fuel demand’.

In Asian and some Western developed cities, public transport accounts for more than 51% of daily trips while in car-orientated cities such as in the United States or the Gulf region it accounts for less than 10% (UN Habitat, 2010). In Riyadh City, for example, the current bus service shares less than 2% of 8 million daily trips (Al-Fouzan, 2012; Alqahtani et al., 2012).

Providing transportation services that are adequate and appropriate is the challenge that is encountered in almost all cities in the world (Wijaya, 2009). Mode of travel, journey time, and cost are three variables that influence transport decisions (Shove et al. 2015). Hine and Mitchell (2000) looked at the extent to which the cost of fares presented an obstacle to travel.

A lack of transport opportunities has been shown to be a barrier to accessibility and social inclusion in contemporary society, especially among people living in rural and sparsely populated areas (McDonagh 2006; Farrington and Farrington 2005; Joelsson and Tanja 2019). Cities will always have a new problem, which arises due to transportation system.

In general, large cities in developing countries are highly dependent on road transport. Congestion with all its consequences is a current common problem faced at the big cities around the world such as Wuhan in China (Zhou et al., 24), Lagos in Nigeria, and Douala in Cameroon. This condition occurred because of lack of balance/lack of fairness public policies that are issued by the government to private vehicles and public transport (World Overpopulation Awareness, 2009).

Satisfaction with public transport services can be influenced by the service quality that consists of many factors (de Oña et al., 2013). Also, Mouwen (2015) focused on customer views on public city transport and also on drivers of customer satisfaction with public transport services in the Netherlands. It was found that overall satisfaction with public city transport is influenced the most by service attributes such as on-time performance, travel speed, and service frequency, followed by personnel attributed (driver behaviour) and vehicle cleanliness.

Previous studies (Aljoufie, 2016; World Health Organization, 2013; Zhao, 2010) indicate that a rapidly increasing population, urban sprawl, and the proliferation of cars result in higher traffic volumes and increased vehicular use, leading to congestion and other negative impacts such as air pollution, greenhouse gas emissions, and economic losses. The Development of flyover, under pass, the toll road is an example of a policy that is aligned to private transport (private cars).

On the other hand, the performance of public transport will continue to push/decrease in line with the declining performance of the road network as a result of the increasing use of private vehicles. To improve the performance of public transport so one of the policies that the government should be made is to buy the service and then re-plan public transport in a safe, comfortable and reliable, at the same time with “disturb comfortable of using private vehicle”.

Funds of buying the service may come from a transport fund that established by the government (ICLEI, 2003). Hatwar and Gajghate (2014) argue that investment in public transport services is a compulsory quality leap for more livable and accessible cities. Understanding human mobility patterns in conflict environments helps in many fields including transport and traffic management (Gao et al., 2013). Public transport plays a facilitating role in urban mobility (Banister, 2001) at such should be given priority in developmental processes.

1.2 Statement Of The Problem

Recently, human mobility patterns have drawn much attention in the areas of geography (Lui et al., 2012) Spatial interactions between geographical entities such as cities and regions help us to understand the spatial structure of a region.

Bamenda which is a cosmopolitan city in Cameroon is experiencing setbacks in its transportation services as a result of the ongoing conflicts due to the anglophone crises in the northwest region of Cameroon. According to Adewale (2005) migration which occurs as a response to social and political factors has effects on areas of origin as well as a destination in the case of transport services which is the case of Bamenda.

Rural communities in the northwest region of Cameroon who are most plaque by the armed conflict due to destruction of homes and livelihood turn to flee to after spaces such as Bamenda and its satellite towns like Bali, Mbengwi, Santa, Bambili, Bafut which is less hostile in the quest for survival.

The Increasing number of residents in Bamenda city as a result of the ongoing armed conflict has increased the number of motorcyclists which is directly proportional to the number of motorbikes littered around the city. The impact of the state of dilapidated roads in Bamenda which has not received any maintenance since the beginning of the ongoing conflict in 2016, is much felt by its inhabitants when all transport services such as buses, taxis, motorbikes and private utilize the roads at the same time thus leading to congestion.

Similarly, other problems occur such as increased travel time, transportation cost, and frequency of accidents resulting from inadequate road infrastructures. Environmental problems such as air pollution, vibration, and the extravagance of fuel consumption cannot be underlooked as a result of transport services (Tolba and Saab, 2008). As such its important to pay increasing attention to sustainable transport systems by enhancing or introducing public transit services.

1.3 Research Question

1.3.1 Main research Question

What are the effects of political instability on transport services in Bamenda city and environs?

1.3.2 Specific Questions.

1. How has political instability impacted the transport services of Bamenda?
2. What are the challenges faced in the transportation of persons in Bamenda?
3. what measures could be put in place to boast transportation services in Bamenda?