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…Restricts operation hours
Funsho Akanbi
As parts of the moves to put an end to road crashes and frequent loss of lives resulting from accident involving containerised trucks and tankers in the state, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu has finally banned trailers from Ikorodu road and other areas in the state.
The governor also restricted their operation time, saying that trucks and other heavy-duty should only be on Lagos road between 9:01pm to 5:59am.
With the new directive, the government also said that any tanker that carries more than 45, 000 liters we will be confiscated while the owner will be sanctioned.
Speaking at a stakeholders’ meeting on implementation the Governor’s directive on the restriction of trucks/trailers movement to dedicated routes and night time, the state Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Fredrick Oladehinde, who disclosed this, described the restriction as parts of thethe continuous efforts of the present administration to curb the consistent road crashes attributed to the activities/operations of trucks/trailers on our roads which leads to loss of lives and property.
Oladehinde, who appealed to the stakeholders to comply with the new directive, said that the move was not aimed and making things difficult for them but to ensure safety officer f the lives and property of other residents and business owners.
The commissioner, who decried the rate of accidents involving articulated trucks and containers and in the state, said that the new restrictions were in line with Mr. Governor Sanwo-Olu’s T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda especially as it relates to Traffic Management and Transportation and the ease of doing business in the State.
The Story gathered that with new restriction, the trucks, trailers are banned from the entire stretch of Ikorodu road and some other areas for the safety of other road users.
Oladehinde said:”Some of the things that we will be enforcing are restrictions of containerised trailers and trucks on our roads will now be from 9:00pm to 6:00am. Containerised trailers are not allowed to traveled during the day, it has to be at night time between the time of 9pm and 6am. They have to abide by this timing in accordance with the Transportation Law, 2018.
He said that the high percentage of road crashes involving articulated vehicles were caused by human error as statistics had shown that in 2018, there was a total of 1,671 crashes and in 2019, there was 1, 934 accidents.
According to him, the state would collaborate with the law enforcement agencies, Department of Petroleum Resources, and other critical stakeholders in implementing some of these strategies.
He said that state government would also collaborate on Provision of security for day and night operations, state government infrastructure development in terms of road, truck parks, road signages and road, call-up systems and others.
The commissioner added: “There will be routes where trailers will be restricted. Trailers can no longer travel across the whole of Lagos, we will make sure that we provide the essential infrastructure. We must keep our road safe. The amount of trailers that fall on our road is very alarming. It is important that we protect the people of Lagos State and it is important that we protect their properties.”
He said that state would also enforce the maximum number of 45, 000 liters expected by tankers to lift from tank farms, adding that the state has experienced a lot of tankers that carried about 90, 000 litres breaking down on the road.
“Any tanker that carries more than 45, 000 liters we will confisicate. We will ensure that such tanker is sanctioned,” Oladeinde said.
He urged the stakeholders, on whose shoulder the responsibility of driving the implementation these strategies lies, to work hard and support the State Government for a successful implementation, saying that the was ready to work with the stakeholders on how best to ensure safety on Lagos road.
Explaining, Mr Gbolahan Toriola, Director, Ministry of Transportation, said among trucks and trailers are banned from plying Ojota, Maryland, Palmgroove, Fadeyi, Western Avenue to A papa.
Toriola said that such long vehicles from Lagos-Ibadan Expressway would ply Alapere-Ogudu-Gbagada-Oshodi Apapa Expressway to Apapa and follow same route out of Lagos.
Contributing, Mr Olajide Oduyoye, the General Manager, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) said that everyday trucks/trailers breaks down on highways and paralyse traffic movement.
Oduyoye, who applauded the restriction, said that such would lessen stress of LASTMA officials towing vehicles and end unnecessary killings by some of the drivers.
At the meeting were various representatives in the transport sector, such as: the union representatives of Council Of Maritime Transport Union and Association (COMTUA), National Association of Road Transport Owners (NARTO), Association of Maritime Transport Owners (AMATO), Allied Truck Transporter Association of Nigeria (ATTAN) and National Union of Road Transport Workers (NURTW) appealed to the State Government to support with necessary infrastructure and further review the directive, especially with respect to restriction to night time.
Remi Ogunbgemi representing the generality of the unions further revealed that they were taking steps to digitize their operations including electronic Call up System for trucks due at ports to reduce the number of trailers parked along the roads.
