CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1 Background to the Study

Historically, man’s requirement for a parking space did not come into existence until he started seeking modes of travel other than his own motive force (Rankin, 1970). The greatest contributor to the parking problem was and most definitely still is the automobile. More commonly referred to as the car, it is one of the most revolutionary developments of this century.

Parking is a common problem faced by people who live in urban agglomerations. Finding a parking space during the peak hours of the day is difficult and nearly impossible. Everyone is frustrated with this stressful problem as they have to face it every day unless they stay at home (Shaheen, 2005). Searching an available parking spot in the city is always troublesome for drivers and it tends to become harder and tedious with the increasing number of private car users. Finding a free parking space is a challenge to mobility, since up to 30% of traffic in urban scenarios is generated by vehicles looking for vacant parking spaces (Yogesh and Patil, 2016).

The presence of less space and greater traffic has increased the demand for parking space especially in areas like central business district (Tom, 2014). As the rate of urbanization increases, societies struggle to develop policies to make most efficient use of space to cope with congestion. Parking is one of such policy. Poorly implemented policies can lead to “cruising” for parking spaces, which can account for 30 percent of down town traffic in some cases (Shoup, 2005). Parking problems are not only existing in the urban areas, it is also happening in most of the universities right now. According to Shoup (2005), a large university can be considered as a city but with a smaller scale. A typical university campus usually consists of lecture halls, hostels, sports facilities, library, cafeterias, parking areas and laboratories. A crowded campus is always going to face this kind of problem.

Parking management can also provide more parking supply, reduce the demand, decreasing the traffic congestion, reducing the pollution and finding more accessible lands (Litman, 2006).

Parking facilities are a major expense to society and parking conflicts are among the most common problems facing infrastructure planners. These problems can be most often described either in terms of supply or in terms of management (Arjun, 2011). Findings of Crowder and Walton (2001) showed that people will use their vehicles for only 500 hours and at least 8000 hours used to park the vehicles every year. This statistic reveals the vital role played by parking facilities in today’s traffic management. Hence, parking needs to be properly managed by the authorities in place so as to facilitate easy circulation within the urban centre.

According to Effa (2010), one of the problems which plaques the city of Douala and even causes road congestion, is poor parking of vehicles in the town. Car owners park their cars everywhere on roads, sidewalks, on pavements that separate roads, on pedestrian tracks and go as far as occupying part of the main road, thereby blocking free circulation of other vehicles on motion. The cars are parked haphazardly because there is insufficiency in parking spaces. This poor parking is common in places like markets, around the bus stations, road junctions, in front of some offices which do not have parking space for their workers and clients.    

1.2. Problem Statement

Car parking is a major problem in urban areas of both developed and developing countries. Following the rapid increase of car ownership, many cities are suffering from lack of car parking areas with imbalance between parking supply and demand which can be considered as the initial reason for metropolis parking problems (Hossam, 2017).

Shaheen (2005) declared that a limited number of parking spaces can cause traffic congestion and frustration among the drivers. People tend to cheat when there is no available parking space. In the commercial area, it is a common thing for the drivers to double-park their car which blocks the other car from leaving the parking bay.

The rate of construction of the parking areas in Douala appears to be far less than the growth in the number of motor vehicles and car owners. Parking contradiction between supply and demand is becoming increasingly prominent. In Douala I Municipality, parking lots appear to be insufficient compared to the number of vehicles currently plying the streets. Drivers spend extra time on the road cruising and looking for any available space to park their vehicles. Most often they do not bother about where the space appears. The shortage of parking spaces causes motorized drivers to park wherever is convenient to them. They are compelled to undertake several turns and loss several minutes in quest for where to park their cars. Lots of cumulative business time is lost especially for new visitors into the sub-division. The offices, restaurants and hotels do not preview sufficient parking lots for their workers and clients. At rush hours of the day (morning, lunch break and closing) many people are found on the roads and parking lots at almost the same time and are forced to wait for their turns in a queue of cars desiring to either drive in or out.

This situation is further worsened by the narrow roads and on-street parking lots. The consequence of which is congestion, traffic jam, frustration, loss of office or business time, wrong turns, crashes or accidents. These all culminate in delays and slowdown in business.

These problems can be summarized into three, that is, there is a serious shortage of parking lots; the use of car parks in some areas is inefficient; and the parking lot lacks a clear plan management body (there is confusion between the Douala City Council and Douala 1 Local Council on who manages the parking lots).

It is within this backdrop of limited parking lots in Douala 1 which negatively affect businesses in particular that this study is based.  

1.3. Research Questions

In order to carry out this study the following research questions were put forth;

1.3.1. Main Research Question

What strategies (policies) are implemented to manage parking spaces in Douala1 municipality?

1.3.2. Specific Research Questions

1. What are the different types of parking spaces in Douala 1 and what are the inherent, challenges faced in their usage?
2. What are the causes of parking space challenges faced in Douala 1 Municipality and how do these challenges influence management policies?
3. What is the relationship between volume of traffic and parking space challenges in Douala 1?

1.4. Research Objectives

This work is guided by main and specific research objectives or expected outcomes.

1.4.1. Main Objective

The main objective of this study is to determine policies that can be implemented to effectively manage parking spaces so as to resolve parking space problems in Douala1 municipality.

1.4.2. Specific Research Objectives

The specific objectives of this study were;

1. To identify the types of parking spaces available and the challenges faced in their usage in Douala 1.
2. To evaluate the causes of parking space challenges faced in Douala 1 Municipality and how these challenges influence management policies?
3. To investigate the relationship between traffic flow and parking space challenges in Douala 1.