S. Blankhart

Transport for the Urban Poor in Lusaka

Homepage Manual Contents Navigation

Appendix: Modal Split in Transport in low income areas over time

Comparing some older studies over a period of time will give an indication of changes of transport used for journey to work. Although the studies reviewed hero concentrate all on squatter settlements, a comparison over time should be done very carefully only to indicate a certain trend.

Table A1: Transport used to work over time

* First figure indicates % of people using a particular mode all the time/throughout the month. Second figure indicates percentage of people using a particular mode for a proportion of the month only (total is more than 100% because of interchanging within categories).
+ The remaining part of the working force works at home or go by private cars (very few).

Walking is the most important means of travelling to work. Rough comparison over time indicates that there is definitely no decrease in the proportion of walkers to work. This is confirmed by the figures obtained in one area (George) in 1973 and 1976. The very largo number of walkers in Nguluwe can be attributed to its favourable central location. For the lower income inhabitants of Lusaka the situation did not improve over the years in that they cannot afford less time consuming modes of transport. Against this background the decreasing number of persons using bicycles is striking.

Transport provided by employers gets more important as a comparison over time and between the two George Surveys shows. The very low public transport figures in Kalingalinga and Ng'ombe can be attributed to the fact that no public transport services were available in these areas at that time.

The table is based on the following studies:

• Lusaka Housing Project Evaluation Team - George 1976.
  Initial results of the first primary sample survey, 1977.
• Department of Community Development, the Research Unit - A socio-economic Survey of Kalingalinga, 1967.
• School of Humanities and Social Sciences, UNZA (ed-by T. Seymour)- Social Survey in Ng'ombe Squatter Settlement, 1971.
• University of Wisconsin, Department of Sociology - Zambia Housing Study: Survey of low cost Residential Areas in Lusaka, Kitwo, Ndola, 1973.
• Department of Town & Country Planning - Mwaziona, a study of an unofficial housing area, 1973. (Mwaziona is a different name for George).
• Institute for African Studies, Urban Community Research Unit - Chainda, Lusaka - portrait of a peri-urban settlement, 1979.