THE USE OF TECHNOLOGY IN IMPROVING ROAD TRANSPORTATION
CHAPTER ONE
INTRODUCTION
1.1 BACKGROUND TO THE STUDY
For more than three decades, researchers have debated the interactions between ICT innovations and changes in transportation demand (Line et al. 2011; Salomon 1986; Senbil and Kitamura 2003; Thomopoulos, Givoni and Rietveld 2015; Wagner et al. 2004). However, the basis of debate has shifted fundamentally over time as ICT opportunities have evolved, particularly with the development of smartphones. Wagner et al. (2004) and Banister and Stead (2004) were the first to discuss the complexities of ICT and transportation interrelationships in depth, taking into account ICT demand responses as well as spatial and temporal distribution outcomes. This included ‘living,’ ‘working,’ and ‘producing,’ the latter of which included logistics, manufacturing systems, customized services, retailing and distribution, teleshopping, distance working, and self-employment. Wagner et al. (2004) and Banister and Stead (2004) reached similar conclusions.
that ICT would stimulate travel by creating new “opportunities” for transportation, but that ICT would also substitute for travel by allowing a growing number of tasks to be completed at a distance.
Carrasco and Miller (2006) presented a refined understanding of ICT, social (media) networks, and travel, discovering that transportation demand is affected by the social importance of network contacts as well as physical distances to social activities. Nobis and Lenz (2009) later presented evidence of increased transport demand as a result of mobile phone use, discovering that changes in life circumstances triggered changes in mobile phone use and travel behavior. Notably, the authors of these studies were still focused on the implications of mobile phones and regular Phone and email use: Smartphones and their capabilities (apps, chats), as well as social media, had not yet reached a mass-market audience. This confirms that, less than a decade ago, studies investigating ICT and transportation interrelationships began with much more limited technologies and opportunities for use. Line et al. (2011) investigated students and part-time working mothers in one of the more recent studies. They discovered that new technologies were quickly integrated into daily routines because communication opportunities allowed for the rescheduling and adjusting of activities, as well as their coordination and organization in time and space. Social media (particularly Facebook) has been identified as a key factor in the expansion of social networks, including invitations to social events and the revival of social networks.
Friendships from the past.
Line et al. (2011) concluded that, while ICT had an impact on communication patterns, its implications for changing transportation demand appeared to be more limited. Long-distance relationships maintained through Facebook, which necessitates occasional in-person meetings, were a notable exception (Larsen et al. 2006). Line et al. (2011) also emphasized the importance of mobile technologies for ‘inhabiting’ space, such as the use of mobile phones for navigation or radio listening, as well as their potential to “fragment” and “lubricate” life (ibid: 1498). Aguiléra, Guillot, and Rallet (2012) added that ICT improved public transportation experiences, security perceptions, and the ability to make travel time more productive (see also Wang and Law 2007), while Cohen-Blankshtain and Rotem-Mindali (2016) confirmed that ICT influence perceptions more recently.
Distance, accessibility, and availability are all factors to consider.
Aguiléra et al. (2012) shed light on the potential of ICT innovations to stimulate and substitute transportation demand. Particularly noteworthy is their discovery that ICT alters the nature of transportation demand by adding “new value to physical presence” (Aguiléra et al. 2012: 666). In their view, travel no longer addresses instrumental needs; it makes up for 3 “relational deficits”. Cohen-Blankshtain and Rotem-Mindali (2016) confirmed this, noting that ICT leads to some travel substitution, though both physical and virtual activity types grow. Ad
1.2 THE PROBLEM’S STATEMENT
Advances in Internet platforms, smartphone and tablet applications, and the rise of social media platforms are becoming increasingly relevant in transportation contexts, as they facilitate travel and allow for more personalized experiences. for co-presence in distant lives shared, while also creating new forms of social and network capital (Germann Molz 2012; see also van den Berg et al. 2013). Cohen, Prayag, and Moital (2014) discovered, for example, that social media had gained significant importance for tourism behavior and mobility patterns as a result of opportunities to communicate travel patterns. Competitive travel and changes in collective and individual identities based on movement can also be triggered by social media (Gössling and Stavrinidi 2015). According to the review, the interrelationships between transportation and ICT have evolved over at least three decades, with several key information technologies, such as smartphone apps, being adopted by mass markets only recently. Because the magnitude of this change is unprecedented,
(Witt, Suzor, and Wikström 2015), there is evidence that apps are increasingly shaping people’s perceptions and use of transportation systems (van Wee 2015). To better understand these complexities, the paper identifies and conceptualizes ICT innovations in terms of their implications for transportation behavior.
1.3 THE STUDY’S OBJECTIVES
The primary goals of this research are as follows:
i. To investigate technological factors such as bolt and taxify and how they relate to urban transportation in the study area.
ii. To assess the impact of technology such as bolt and taxify on the road transportation system in.
iii. To investigate the impact of technology like bolt and taxify on urban road transportation in the study area.
iv. To make suggestions for improvements
would make transportation more efficient.
1.4 THE HYPOTHESIS
The following hypotheses will be tested in this study:
1. Ho: In the study area, there is no significant relationship between technology and road safety.
2. Ho: There is no significant relationship between technology and the development of urban transportation.
IMPORTANCE OF THE STUDY:
The study will assist the government in developing transportation policies. This research will educate transportation stakeholders and the general public in Nigeria about the relationship between ICT and urban transportation. This study will contribute to the body of literature on the effect of personality traits on student academic performance, forming the empirical literature for future research in the field.
STUDY SCOPE AND LIMITATIONS
This research will look at the relationship between road information technology and transportation, as well as how the two affect development in Nigeria.
STUDY LIMITATIONS
Financial constraint- Inadequate funding tends to impede the researcher’s efficiency in locating relevant materials, literature, or information, as well as in the data collection process (internet, questionnaire and interview).
Time constraint- The researcher will conduct this study alongside other academic work. As a result, the amount of time spent on research will be reduced.