Abstract:

This study quantified the vehicular flow into Lafia metropolis, a key commercial corridor linking northern and eastern Nigeria. Traffic-counting devices were deployed on the Makurdi-Lafia, Shendam-Lafia, and Akwanga-Lafia highways for one week. The collected data were analyzed to obtain vehicle volumes, class distributions, and speed statistics at these entry points. Results indicate that Akwanga-Lafia recorded the highest total vehicles (110,161), followed by Makurdi-Lafia (83,731) and Shendam-Lafia (55,995). Makurdi-Lafia also exhibited the highest recorded speed (156.8 km/h). Notably, a significant percentage of medium and heavy vehicles exceeded their posted speed limits, likely due to their lower PSL values. These findings highlight specific high-volume and high-speed corridors where traffic management and enforcement should be intensified. The study fulfills its aim by providing evidence-based insights for improving road safety in Lafia. Keywords: vehicular speed; traffic volume; speed distribution; Lafia metropolis