THISDAYonline

Gradually, sanity is being restored to the notorious Lagos chaotic traffic situation. Going to places of work and businesses is becoming less painful and perhaps may soon be pleasurable if the current effort is sustained. It is becoming a new dawn for those familiar with this city of traffic jungle.

Road users plying some of the city's major roads have of recent noticed the ease at which traffic now moves and how major bottlenecks are quickly broken down by men and women of the newly created Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) under the Ministry of Transport. Well quipped with vans, motor cycles and other traffic sign gadgets, they have been doing a good job of making journeys within the metropolis less burdensome. Their efforts are more noticeable during the peak periods of morning when people are going to their businesses and when returning in the evening. Notable areas where improvements have been noticed include the obstreperous Oshodi, the CMS, Apongbon, Race Course, Apapa, Ojota, Ikeja, Oshodi-Isolo expressway and Mile 2. Previously, these were spots no sane person would ordinarily want to ply or board public transport at peak hours. Now, morning, and afternoon, it is possible to drive with less hassles and delays.

It is significant to note that the improvement was made possible with the erection of median barriers to prevent illegal turnings common amongst ever impatient Lagos drivers, bus stops enforcement, stick to your lane rules, restoration of bus routes, public enlightenment campaign, constant arrest and fine of traffic offenders and above all effective use of manpower using redundant civil servants and youth corpers who were trained, re-oriented, equipped, dressed and ably supported by men of Lagos State Police Command, Road Safety Corp, all under the control of LASTMA. LASTMA itself, which was set up by the Transport Ministry last year has members drawn from the civil service, Nigerian Army, the police, the media, academia and the business community under the able leadership of Transport Commissioner, Muiz Banire. It is this body that is the tink-tank from which the new measures spring. We wish to commend Governor Bola Ahmed Tinubu and his commissioner in this regard. This is how it should be. A government must make effective and efficient use of every manpower available to it. This is what has been lacking in the past, and we commend the Lagos example to other states.

However, there is still much to be done as it is not all hosanna yet. We note two areas which must be treated with despatch. First, is that there are still some major areas of Lagos where the new traffic initiative is yet to be deployed. We note in particular, Egbe-Ikotun and Okota areas which have become a nightmare for residents. Most often it takes a minimum of two hours to get through Ikotun-Most often, it takes a minimum of two hours to get through Ikotun-Egbe bottleneck both in the morning and evening to the extent that some residents have had to move from the area entirely. Yet these are areas with very large population. The same goes for Ipaja, Agege, Abule-Egba or the entire breadth of Agege-motor road from Mushin to Otta which is yet to notice some improvements. Kingsway Road, Ikoyi and Falomo in the morning and afternoon are still their old state of immobilism. Victoria Island and some parts of Apapa, particularly from Tin Can have become mad places that only the crazy ones can dare to pass at peak periods. Some of these areas do need construction of new outlets or roads to ease traffic. We urge the government to expedite action on such roads particularly those already under construction. Meanwhile the LASTMA should look at ways of easing the terrible holdups in these areas.

The second one is the menace which commercial motorcyclists popularly known as okada riders now constitute to other road users. Apart from riding with sheer recklessness, they flout traffic laws with impunity, while also provoking most of the road accidents of late. A quick visit to all the city hospitals and accident wards will reveal that their victims are the largest in number. This is compounded by their temerity at blocking road intersections, using them as parks thereby contributing largely to traffic chaos. The government must move quickly at curbing the excesses of these okada riders. We are in support of the policy that they should be restricted to hinterlands if they cannot be banned outrightly given our peculiar physical and socio-economic condition. They must be disallowed from plying the major highways immediately, while the law on helmet for the riders and passengers must be strictly enforced. In short, the okada riders deserve to be brought under a strict traffic regime if they are not to constitute a law into themselves.

It is our hope that this and other suggestions will be quickly acted upon, if the state government is not to lose the momentum of its new traffic initiative. We urge the Tinubu Administration not to rest on its oars in this regard.