By Giwa SHILE
Some residents of Lagos State on Saturday expressed concern on the non-adherence to traffic rules and regulations by motorists and called for workable modalities to ensure free flow of traffic.
The non-adherence to traffic regulations was the bane of the ugly traffic situation in the state.
They called on government to address the situation, especially as the yuletide season approaches.
A constitutional lawyer, Mr Spurgeon Ataene, blamed the traffic congestion on lack of maintenance of road infrastructure in the state.
Ataene noted that most terrible traffic situations were due to impatience of motorists.
According to him, the return of commercial motorcycles on the highways has compounded traffic congestion which posed greater danger to road users.
“Traffic situation in Lagos is a clear reflection of the systemic failure with regards to inability to ensure maintenance of smooth road infrastructure.
“The use of commercial motor bikes popularly called “okada” will be made less alluring if commuters spend less hours to various destinations.
“Jobs have been lost, appointments cancelled, and people disappointed, due to traffic congestion,” he said.
Ataene said that in enforcing traffic laws, government has a corresponding duty to provide good roads and create additional means of transportation like boats, with adequate security, to compliment vehicles.
A Lagos resident, Mr Paul Emenike, blamed the routine traffic situation in the state on the visible disregard for traffic rules and regulations by motorists.
According to him, there exists frequent disobedience to traffic signs and symbols by motorists, who mostly feign ignorance of such signs while traffic enforcers looked on idly.
“Lagos is home to a multitude of road users who hurry to and from their respective places of work on a daily basis.
“Sometimes, persistent impatience and unruly attitude from these motorists, causes chaotic traffic situations, some of which are so bottle-neck, that even motorcyclists experience difficulties going through.
“Now, it is difficult, if not impossible, to even enforce traffic laws on these motorcycle riders, because the users are constrained to resort to them,” he said
According to him, following this wilful disregard for traffic regulations by road users, it has become difficult to manage the consequent hardships.
He called for strict enforcement of traffic rules and regulations in the state as well as a re-evaluation of the roads by government.
“It is urgent to re-evaluate those roads that are one-way, including some blocked junctions, and employ more personnel to ensure a free flow of traffic.
“If this is put in place, the activities of motorcyclists will go out of fashion as the risk involved is more, compared to vehicles,” he said.
On his part, another lawyer, Mr Ogedi Ogu, said that traffic in Lagos was more on enforcement than rules and regulations.
According to him, government must ensure that basic infrastructural facilities are provided and well preserved so as to help curb some of the problems experienced by commuters.
He harped on imbibing the culture of “maintenance.”
“There is need to fix the roads before one can rightly examine the rate of conformity with traffic rules and regulations; to argue otherwise will simply amount to a fallacy of accident,” he said
For Mr Anthony Makolo, the prevalence of disregard for traffic laws by road users in Lagos stemed from indiscipline.
“For me, it is worrisome to think that everyday l wake up to prepare for work, I am faced with different episodes of traffic in my business routes.
“The situation is even worse to find that some of those who flout traffic laws, signs and symbols, are people who ordinarily should know better.
“Some of these bus drivers form the habit of conveying military officers in front of their vehicles so as to enable them flout traffic regulations, especially taking the BRT corridors.
“It is important we get the narrative straight, imbibe the notion that “change begins with us all”, and then, begin to do things the right way,” he said
He also called on the authorities to make concerted efforts in ensuring that traffic congestion in Lagos becomes history.
