Barbara Gruehl Kipke

Bicycle Usage in Two Cities of Africa

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PROCEDURE OF RESEARCH - Selection of Location and Time of Study

Within Ouagadougou, Burkina Faso, and Tamale, Ghana, that were chosen for the survey, wards are to be chosen that lie within the administrative city limits. The distinction between city and rural areas are not that clear-cut because African cities are partly rural and a portion of their population are still farmers.

Within each city three different wards have been chosen, that are mainly inhabited by lower income groups. The wards are located at different distances to the city center, in order to consider the effect of different locations on trip behaviour. In Tamale the wards A, E and H (refer to Appendix I) were chosen from a total of 14 wards, because the data base is relatively good. The wards Tiendpalogo, Hamdalaye and Tanghin or Tampouy will most likely be chosen from the 30 wards in Ouagadougou because there are interesting similarities with Tamale in the first two instances and Tanghin/Tampouy are far from the city centre.

The time chosen for the main survey is February to June 1988, during the months of the dry season where most household members are living in the city. The last Ghanaian census was also conducted during this season for the same reason.

The survey will include the Monday-to-Friday traffic. Nevertheless, in some previously surveyed households, their activities and movements on the weekend will also be included, in order to discover those transportation needs. The survey can thus provide indications on how vehicles are utilized outside of weekday traffic. The survey takes place in the individual quarters during the evenings. Most household members can be reached at that time.