Worried by increasing traffic gridlock across the state, Governor Akinwunmi Ambode of Lagos State Government has directed the State Traffic Management Agency (LASTMA), Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) to collaborate with the federal government agencies and the drivers’ unions to tackle traffic snarl in the state. Determined to address the chaotic situation, Ambode has set up a committee comprising officials of the state Ministry of Transportation, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Police, National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW), Road Transport Employers Association of Nigeria, RTEAN and other relevant stakeholders to ensure free flow of traffic across the state.
The committee, chaired by Commissioner for Transportation, Mr. Ladi Lawanson would commence operation from Ajah as the pilot study. Speaking with New Telegraph, the state’s Commissioner for Transportation, Lawanson, who disclosed this, said that inauguration of the committee was at the instance of the governor who directed such in an apparent response to public outcry over persistent gridlock across Lagos metropolis. Lawanson said the committee was expanded to allow major stakeholders to play active part in decongesting across the metropolis, beginning from Ajah.
He said: “Inclusion of NURTW and RTEAN is to ensure that everyone is involved in addressing the issue immediately. We want a more collaborative approach and that is why we have involved the unions because they know the commercial drivers more than anyone in the state.
“The state government is concerned about the traffic gridlock that is why the governor set up the committee to ensure the free flow of the traffic. If the strategy works in this axis, it would be spread to other parts of Lagos to reduce travel time especially during rush hours.
“From there, we would spread it to other axis of the state where gridlock had become persistent. Our aim is to reduce travel time in Lagos.”
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