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LASU School Of Transport Wins $50,000 Research Grant On Road, Water Crashes
The LASU School of Transport has won a $50,000 research grant on road and water crashes.
Eko Hot Blog reports that the School of Transport and Logistics of the Lagos State University (LASU) has won a $50,000 grant from the Volvo Educational and Research Foundation (VREF) to study road and water traffic crashes in three African cities.
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The LASU team, led by Prof. Samuel Odewumi, had presented a proposal to the Swedish Foundation in June 2022.
The proposal was themed “Comparative study of water and road traffic crashes in selected cities in Nigeria, Ghana and Kenya.”
The cities which the research will cover are Lagos, Accra and Nairobi.
The LASU team will be joined by other researchers, including Prof (Engr) Kazeem Adebiyi of LAUTECH, Ogbomoso, currently the Rector of The Polytechnic Ibadan; Prof Abane Albert, Department of Geography and Regional Planning, University of Cape Coast, Ghana; Prof Gituro Wainaina, Business and Management Sciences Department, University of Nairobi, Kenya and Prof. Karen Lucas, School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED), University of Manchester, UK as the lead consultant.
According to Prof. Odewumi, the research questions will examine the frequency of accidents and their causes. They will also dissect the differences and similarities in the safety regulatory framework in the three cities.
The team lead said, “The research questions in our study area are: What are the numbers of accidents and casualties on the roads and waterways of the selected coastal cities? What are the causes and patterns of the accidents?
“What are the differences and similarities in the data among the cities and between the two modes? What are the differences and similarities in the safety regulatory framework in the three countries?
“Study of road traffic crashes are extensive, but studies on accidents on waterways are rarer. Cities with water bodies have urban forms with peculiar safety and environmental challenges.
“Safety policies are usually well formulated and regularly communicated to enlighten citizens, but this is less so for water transportation, especially for the local artisanal boat and ferry operators mostly patronized by the urban poor. Hence accidents are common, with many of them unreported.
“Therefore, this study seeks to obtain the number, pattern, causes, injuries and fatalities of road and water accidents in the cities of study. Our objectives include a comparative analysis of the data among the cities and between the modes. It will also entail evaluation of the safety regulations, enforcement and enlightenment.
“The perennial congestion in these cities creates a regular situation of crashes that is costing a lot in lives and property. Added to this are the poorly maintained heavy trucks, trailers, boats and ferries adding to the chaotic situation. It is further noted that the economic cost of these accidents and injuries has been estimated at 1% of GNP in low income countries to which Africa belongs (FRSC, 2018, Tiwari et.al (2020)
“As an exploratory survey research, primary data will be by interviews with relevant stakeholders and field observations to document some cases of real-life incidences and casualties over a three months period. The secondary will be from the appropriate authorities. This study is expected to contribute to the understanding of the mobility safety issues in cities with road and water transport system and contribute to policy guidelines on how to minimise the accidents.
“It should be mentioned that LASU School of Transport and Logistics has become a global Centre of Excellence for Transport Research and Education. It has received several streams of young scholars from Ghana and South Africa for mentoring sponsored by VREF. We therefore express our gratitude to VREF for continued support for research and educational development in Africa.
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“The LASU School of Transport Team is profoundly grateful for the conducive environment provided by the able leadership of Prof Olatunji Ibiyemi-Bello, for research and the current pace of quantum development of LASU. Thank you, ma.”
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