NAN-H-48
Gridlocks
By Kazeem Akande/Augusta Uchediunor
Lagos, March 1, 2018 (NAN) Mr Chris Olakpe, the Chief Executive Officer of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), says the current gridlocks along some corridors within the state will soon be over.
Olakpe, who disclosed this in an interview with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday in Lagos, appealed to motorists to be patient and abide by the road signs and instructions from traffic officials.
“The influx is heavy along the corridors but what we are experiencing now is the traffic congestion caused by ongoing efforts of the state governor, Mr Akinwunmi Ambode, to improve on the infrastructure and road networks.
“The cause of the gridlocks is as result of the ongoing construction which will soon ease up in the next few months when the structures are concluded,” Olakpe said.
According to him, the construction of a bridge is ongoing at Pen Cinema, Agege, while a 10-lane road network along international airport road near Oshodi is also coming up.
The LASTMA boss noted that motorists would also experience constriction on Lagos-Abeokuta expressway with the ongoing construction of Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) from Abule-Egba to Oshodi.
“The BRT lane along the corridor will encourage many people to abandon their vehicles at home and join the BRT due to its efficiency and timeliness.
“It is a very vital project that will reduce the number of vehicles along the corridors because many people will prefer using BRT to driving to their various offices,” he added.
Olakpe said that the BRT road projects were accompanied with bus stands and parks of international standard at different corridors for the benefit of passengers.
” With these projects going on across the state, once again, I will say the pain of today will be the gain of tomorrow.
” We should encourage the government to keep the flag flying by obeying traffic rules and complying with the directives of traffic officials,” he said.
NAN reports that in a bid to curb traffic gridlocks on Lagos roads, LASTMA had engaged over 1,400 new graduate traffic managers.
Olakpe had said that the new officials were trained on effective traffic management within Lagos metropolis.
He also said that training programmes were held for LASTMA officials on traffic control and management in order to ensure professionalism in the discharge of their duties.(NAN)
AKA/ANU/OJO
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(Edited by Mufutau Ojo)