SUMMARY, CONCLUSION AND RECOMMENDATIONS

Summary generally, the struggle for limited space within the urban area as the result of high
population growth is fast becoming a challenge, as most economic and social activities seek to
take advantage of the infrastructures and ready market in order to maximize gains. However, this
drive has led to a lot of safety violation and bridge of regulations both on the side of the
government agencies saddled with enforcing these regulations as well as the public who erect
their structures for whatever purpose.

This study was designed to look into the Distribution pattern of filling stations in Gombe
Metropolis. The result revealed that the Distribution of filling stations exhibit a clustered with
various level of conformity with respect to the regulating bodies guidelines. There is very huge
violation observed in the 400m distance apart to the nearest station as well as the 2km radius
stretch of four stations and 50m distance from filling stations to the center of the road and
residential/public institutions stipulated by the Energy Regulation Board (ERB) were not
followed in siting filling stations in many areas. It was also observed and gathered that some
houses, whether residential or commercial also exceed their limit, thereby putting themselves at
risk of existing utilities that could be potentially dangerous disasters.

Filling station business exists in a geographic space and has spatial dimensions of which such
place for this business has to possess. The DPR is responsible for issuance of license to operators
and ensure standards are complied with marketers consider some factors in business location
choice. These are the following factors the operators take into consideration in selecting site for
building filling station.

1. Traffic Flow: This is one of the most paramount factors operators considered in citing filling
station. Marketers build station along main roads that have continues and heavy traffic flow
because they attract more customers. In other words the more the heavy traffic flow the more the
demand of fuel.

2. Exit Roads: Filling stations were usually built along the exit roads that link the city (Gombe)
to other neighbouring cities. Examples of such roads like Yola road, Bauchi road, Dukku road
and Biu road have the greater number of station compare to other roads partly because they are
the exit road from Gombe to all part of the country. Petroleum had been compare to food as such
anyone driving out of the town has to full his tank (with fuel). In fact finding showed that most
filling stations are built on the exit road where customers will find it easier to enter filling station
and fuel their motor vehicle. In addition, the marketers assumed that vehicle driving-in the town
(Gombe town) had already fuel their vehicle at their source/origin.

3. Closeness To Motor Park: Filling station business targets drivers, especially public transport
drivers, so filling stations were built very close to motor park especially those for intercity or
intra transport.

4. Convenience: This was another factor consider by marketers for choosing their business
location. Though marketers are attracted by heavy traffic flow, they prefer rebuilt-in their station
in places away from traffic jam heart were the passengers may find it convenience to park and
fuel their vehicle. Hence, stations are built where there is enough space for customers to
maneuver the vehicle when entering or exiting after fueling.

5. Near Nodal Towns/Junctions: Filling stations are also built close to nodal towns or junction
because nodal towns are potential markets for filling station, filling station were built along
them. However, this is more applicable to peri-urban stations. Vehicles are coming from
different side of the junction and therefore likely to stop and get fueled.
CONCLUSION

This study has observed that the siting of filling stations on the study area are not evenly
distributed as some pattern show a high clustering, medium clustering and low clustering as
shown by the nearest neighbor index analysis, the filling stations spread across the road are too
many, there is 120 filling station in Gombe metropolis and some are still under construction.
Judging from the number of trips attracted to the area by the filling stations especially the highly
clustered ones, it can be said that the clustering of stations within a region has a negative
implication on the flow of traffic on the roadway. Certainly, this is as a result of the utter
disregard for planning regulation on the minimum distance that must exist between filling
stations set by the department of petroleum resources (DPR) practiced by oil marketer and it may
perhaps be due to the overt increase in human population and vehicular ownership and other
domestic/industrial equipment that consumes fuel. This incessant increase in demand for fuel has
resulted in the establishment and spread of fuel filling stations in towns and cities today. Even
though there is a need to make sure that fuel is readily available in every region of the nation as it
is a major source of energy and therefore important for the economic development of a nation, its
negative impacts from the processes of fuel retailing should not be overlooked. It is therefore
pertinent to note that, location of filling stations along a major road corridor should be strictly
regulated and monitored, due regards must be given to planning criteria, safety, and
environmental concerns, knowing that citing filling stations haphazardly have a negative
implication on traffic flow especially during the period of high demand on fuel.

In this current day information driven the society, the Geographic Informtion System (GIS) is
playing a vital role for utilities with planning, decision making, network analysis and monitoring
of environmental degradation. This application (GIS) was built to model spatial information and
processes that support distribution utilities network and operations in the real world (Galati,
2006). The application is also useful to national planners and decision makers in deciding the
most appropriate filling station location pattern in the area.

In conclusion, this study shows that GIS and multi criteria analysis are essential tools to assist
in correct siting to national planners and decision makers in deciding the most appropriate filling
stations location pattern to apply in Gombe metropolis.
RECOMMENDATION

From the analysis of the existing situation and inferences drawn of the filling stations within the
study area has impact on motorist urban dwellers as well as the entire urban as a whole.
Consequently, appropriate recommendations for planning of filling stations within the study area
were made thus.
1. The earmarking of areas to be devoted for petrol stations to be located within
neighborhoods sector and master plan. This is to check the proliferations and haphazard
location of petrol station are included in various plans.
2. A minimum distance of 400m should be observed from one petrol station to the other.
This will reduce the traffic congestion and increase convenience.
3. Location of filling stations along those major roads should discourage. Relocation of
filling stations on the roundabout.
4. Planning authorities should ensure that all filling stations are in conformity with the
standards.
This has demonstrated the effectiveness of the application of Geographic Information System
(GIS) in predicting and determining of site criteria for filling stations facilities development,
most especially in areas of competing land uses that require sustainability, environmentally
sensitive development solutions, environmental safety, and consumer accessibility.
Therefore, filling station site regulatory agencies such as DPR, PPPR, MPR, NNPC and
Government should carry out proper site evaluation before permitting the location of any filling
station in Gombe metropolis. There should be proper placement of filling stations in the area,
because their improper placement could lead to disastrous consequences during fire and causing
pollution to surrounding soil and underground water” (Matori et al, 2010), and gas stations
(filling stations) also offer favorable conditions for occupational accidents (Cezar-Vaz et al,
2012).