Geospatial analysis of telecommunication and travel behaviour of households: Lessons from a developing city in Nigeria

Abstract

The advent of telecommunications and other advanced technologies rapidly increases activity accessibility. Consequently, this study examined the impact of telecommunication on the mobility pattern of households in Nigeria. The multi-stage procedure was adopted for the study, and a systematic sampling technique was employed to select 10% of the registered building for questionnaire administration. Thus, 512 respondents were sampled. The stepwise regression analysis revealed that age, income of respondents, call duration, and subscription cost were significant factors influencing telecommunication usage. We found that telecommunication replaces in-store shopping, with 40% of the respondents substituting their shopping trips with telecommunication. We, therefore, proposed that people should be enlightened on the culture of the use of telecommunication and that its usage extends beyond call linkages, as other benefits should be explored.

Keywords

• telecommunication
• travel behaviour
• mobility
• sustainable planning
• geographical information system