GIS-based locational analysis of petrol filling stations in Kaduna Metropolis

Location of environmental sensitive commercial and service activities in densely populated urban areas are guided by planning principles and standards, expressed in either structure plans or land use development plans. There has been an upsurge of filling stations within Kaduna metropolis thereby raising the questions about their certified locations. This study analysed the location of filling stations in Kaduna Metropolis against the physical planning standards set by Department of Petroleum Resource (DPR) and Kaduna Urban Planning and Development Agency (KASUPDA). Names and addresses of the filling stations were obtained from the Department of Petroleum Resource (DPR) Kaduna. Global Positioning System (GPS) Garmin 78s map was used to capture the locations of the filling stations. The findings revealed that there are 228 filling stations located along the 26 roads in the study area, of which 74% are owned by independent marketers, 18% owned by Major Marketers and 8% owned by the NNPC. There is significant correlation between the number of filling stations and the road hierarchy. However, 86% of the filling stations did not meet the minimum distance of 100 meter from the health care facilities. 84% did not meet the criteria of 400 meter minimum distance to other stations where located on same road side. The research recommends that the regulatory agencies should take appropriate measures to ensure that filling stations operators comply with the standards.