Transport system represents a major interface between the location of activities and the general movement of people in an urban system . Hitherto, urban transport problems are becoming more and more acute in the cities in Nigeria. Urban transportation planning is the process that leads to decisions on transportation policies and programs. The objective of this paper is to provide the information necessary for making decisions on when and where improvements should be made in the Nigerian transportation system, thus promoting travel and land development patterns that are in keeping with community goals and objectives. Urban transportation issues are presented with particular emphasis on traffic congestion and congestion alleviation strategies. Contemporary urban transportation mode is also presented. In this paper, an overview of the transportation planning process has been described. This process consists of the following major steps: establish goal and objectives; define the boundaries of the planning area; subdivide the study area into districts and zones; collect appropriate data and forecast the variables such as population and economic activities; run the four-step models: trip generation, trip distribution, model split, and traffic assignment; validate and refine the process; evaluate the result and recommend actions and implement the actions.