Illegal parking
is a persistent urban management problem that affects traffic flow, pedestrian
safety and the efficient use of public space. Although parking shortages are
frequently identified as a cause of non-compliance, motorists also weigh
proximity, convenience, time pressure and the perceived likelihood of
enforcement. This study examines the convenience-compliance nexus underlying
motorists’ parking non-compliance in Phase I of the Federal Capital City (FCC),
Abuja, Nigeria. A mixed-method design was used, combining a structured survey
of 384 motorists with field observation and spatial assessment. Descriptive
statistics, one-way analysis of variance and multiple linear regression were
used to examine parking practices, district variation and predictors of a
Parking Non-Compliance Index. Parking non-compliance was widespread: 80.5% of
respondents reported having parked in an unauthorized area.
Sidewalk/pedestrian-path parking had the highest behavioural mean (M=4.20,
SD=1.06), followed by parking in front of shops or businesses without
permission (M=3.90, SD=0.99). The reconciled regression model was statistically
significant, F (7,376) =54.27, p<.001, with R²=.503. Shortage of parking
spaces (β=.362), convenience/time saving (β=.254), time pressure (β=.218), and
weak enforcement (β=.174) were significant positive predictors of
non-compliance (all p<.001). Social norms (β=.082, p=.074), parking fees
(β=.079, p=.069), and signage clarity (β=-.061, p=.184) were not statistically
significant. The findings indicate that parking non-compliance in Abuja is
better understood as a structural-behavioural-institutional problem than as a
simple failure of driver discipline. Effective management therefore requires
coordinated improvement of legal parking availability and accessibility,
visible and consistent enforcement, and parking arrangements that reduce the
convenience advantage of illegal locations.
Keywords: parking non-compliance; illegal parking; convenience; parking supply; motorist behaviour; enforcement; Abuja; Nigeria.
