Transport policy inconsistency worry Lagos motorists, commuters

Investigation by National Daily has revealed that the Lagos State Government may have dumped its earlier plans to build a massive central interstate motor park at Olusosun waste dump site, near Ojota.

According to the Commissioners for Transportation and Environment, the policy is designed to bring traffic sanity within the inner part of the state as the activities of several interstate bus services are becoming serious challenge to the government.

Though both commissioners told Lagosians that the policy will take off few months ago, National Daily gathered that nothing has been done since that time, suggesting that the policy may have been jettisoned after all.

Mr. Adejare, the commissioner for The Environment, had argued that the policy will free several spaces in the state and reduce daily traffic gridlock driven by thousands of interstate buses entering Lagos.

Again, another different policy on transportation in Lagos State is again, emerging.

The Lagos State government at this weekend said it will soon adopt a Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) policy.

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Government noted that the new idea is coming with relevant stakeholders that will make roads within the metropolis more public-friendly by paying more attention to other means of movement like motor bikes and bicycles including the disabled ones in the society  through the provision of dedicated lanes.

To drive home the new idea, the state government, through LAMATA recently organised a one-day stakeholders conference in collaboration with facilitators drawn from the United Nations Environmental Program (UNEP); ‘Share the Road Global Program’ in partnership and the Institute for Transportation and Development Policy (ITDP), all based in Nairobi, Kenya with the theme; Empowering Pedestrians and Cyclists for a Better City to ratify the policy.

The main objectives of the UNEP-ITDP facilitated stakeholder conference was to promote importance of NMT policy with decision makers, demonstrate that Lagos state is going to prioritize investment in NMT, share the draft policy and agree on next steps and action plan, discuss budgetary allocation as well as state wide network.

It was really hard for participants to arrive at a comfortable resolution of the key matter of road congestion and thick gridlock.

There were however consensus that Lagos is in dire need of workable non-motorized transport model that will also explore best practices in travel demand management.

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Though a Bill for onward transmission to the State House of Assembly on the non-motorized transport model is yet not in view, participants are upbeat that after due consultations, a workable solution capable of disappearing tension-soaked traffic gridlock will emerge.