Governor of Lagos State
The
Lagos State Government has commenced the enforcement of the state Road
Traffic Law relating to obstruction of traffic on major roads in the
state.
The state Taskforce on Environmental and
Special Offences subsequently arrested some drivers and impounded no
fewer than 16 commercial buses for obstructing traffic by picking
passengers on road sides.
The task force officials arrested 12 commercial buses in Oshodi and four in Obalende.
Task force Chairman, Bayo Sulaiman, said
on Friday that the drivers were picking passengers by the road side
instead of designated bus stops and motor parks.
He said, “It is time motorists,
especially commercial bus operators in Oshodi, Obalende and Mushin knew
that it is not going to be business as usual.
“If they pick up passengers by road sides, the task force will get them.”
Sulaiman said commercial bus operators
in the state were fond of picking passengers in prohibited places rather
than approved bus stops and motor parks.
He added that apart from the
enforcement, the government was also intensifying its awareness
campaigns for passengers not to board buses by road side, except at bus
stops and motor parks.
He said, “Lagosians should help
government in creating sanity on the roads by using bus stops and motor
parks. In the process of picking up passengers by the road sides,
commercial buses cause gridlock.
“We have been creating awareness among
passengers not to stand by road side to wait for motorists. Apart from
the problems they will cause to movement of vehicles, they can also
board one chance (robbers’) vehicle in the process. This act is common
in Oshodi, Obalende and Mushin.”
Sulaiman insisted that commercial bus
operators must use the service lane on the expressway to pick up and
drop off passengers, saying that any commercial bus operator that did
otherwise would be arrested.
He said the buses impounded would not be released to their owners until after three months to serve as deterrent to others.
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