The Babajide Sanwo Olu-led government in Lagos State is taking steps to tackle perennial gridlock around Victoria Island and Lekki axis in the state. JOSHUA BASSEY writes that a collaborative effort with the private sector would help to decongest areas like Oniru, Muri-Okunola roundabout among others, insisting that doing so would improve business operations and quality life for residents.
One of the pillars of development agenda of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration in Lagos State is Traffic Management and Transportation.
The other four include Health and Environment, Education and Technology, Making Lagos a 21st Century Economy, Entertainment and Tourism as well as Security and Governance. These five key areas the government has weaved into the acronym- THEMES.
While all of the five pillars are essential and play pivotal role in driving the vision of a greater Lagos that works for both businesses and residents, traffic management and transportation, however, stands out. This is understandably so in a city that runs as the commercial capital of West Africa, and hosts an estimated 21 million people.
Sitting on a land size of 3,577 square kilometres which makes it the smallest of Nigeria’s 36 states, it is to be expected that a government desirous of development will accord the transportation sector a priority, as the millions of residents as well as goods and services must necessarily traverse the length and breadth of the city and beyond.
It is no surprise, therefore, that the governor is focusing on efficient traffic management and transportation as a key area in his development agenda.
“We will minimise traffic congestion on our roads and facilitate multi-modal transportation. We have already identified about 60 strategic traffic gridlock areas in Lagos primed for immediate decongestion. We shall integrate road, rail and water transportation into a coherent multi-modal transportation programme.” said Sanwo-Olu during his inauguration on May 29, at the Tarawa Balewa Square (TBS).
Since the inauguration, the administration is seen following up with measures that show its readiness to match words with actions.
Not a few would agree that the visits of Sanwo-Olu and the top echelon of his administration to traffic prone areas for on-the-spot assessment of Oshodi-Apapa, Lagos-Badagry and Lekki-Epe corridors, signing of executive orders to affirm zero tolerance on traffic disorder and environmental nuisances and constitution of an inter-ministerial ad-hoc committee to drive the implementation of the executive orders, are a demonstration of commitment to finding a way around the traffic menace and environmental challenges in Nigeria’s former capital city.
Last week, Sanwo-Olu took another step towards addressing the traffic conundrum bedeviling the commercial cum residential environs of Victoria Island and Lekki when he mobilised top functionaries of his government, which included his deputy, Obafemi Hamzat, Secretary to the State Government, Folashade Jaji, and Head of Service, Hakeem Muri-Okunola to interface with top bankers, among them, Herbert Wigwe, Managing Director/CEO of Access Bank Plc; Nnamdi Okonkwo, Managing Director/CEO of Fidelity Bank Plc, among other professionals on how to end the gridlock around Victoria Island and the Lekki axis and create a better ambience for business and living.
At the meeting, which held at Four Points by Sheraton Hotels, the private sector partners and stakeholders, who deliberated on a study, tagged “Victoria Island-Lekki Circulation” which took four months to analyse traffic pattern on that axis, causes of gridlock and possible solutions, submitted by Planet Project Limited, an indigenous engineering/construction firm, agreed to the need to overhaul the current traffic architecture around Victoria Island.
The study identified five major trouble areas within that axis. They include Muri-Okunola round-about, Sandfill junction, Akinbolade Street connecting Oniru, Ligali Ayorinde, just as it suggested the creation of one additional access road and the dualisation of Akinbolade Street to allow for better traffic flow.
Abiodun Otunola, managing director of Planet Project, who presented the study, said the solutions might also involve the removal of identified roundabouts along the Lekki-Ajah corridor, but more importantly, rehabilitation of major streets in Victoria Island, some of which are riddled with potholes. The study also suggested the use of concrete around some of the road junctions as against asphalt which has weak resistance to water.
The governor, who believed the implementation of the proposed solutions would go a long way, gave the commitment of government in line with his electioneering promise.
“The whole idea is to improve the time that people spend in traffic in order to enhance business and social life,” said Sanwo-Olu.
The governor, who left the stakeholders’ meeting to undertake a further tour of the Lekki-Ajah corridor, while fielding questions from newsmen, announced toll-free passage on the Admiralty and Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge tollgates on Thursday July11 and Wednesday July 17, 2019 at peak periods: 6:30am and 9:30am as well between 4:30pm and 8pm.
The objective, according to him is to allow traffic consultants to the government carry out a comprehensive study of traffic flow around Lekki-Ikoyi-Victoria Island axes, which is part of the initiatives the government is bringing to diffuse vehicular gridlock in major business districts in the state.
“We are currently undertaking a traffic study with our experts and we want to know where the traffic gets to when the tollgates are left open for steady movement. It is only when we do this at the peak hours that we will be able to understand how to deal with congestion in these places.”
Sanwo-Olu said the undertaking was necessary for the government to take actions that would lead to reduction of gridlock on the axes by 50 per cent. The resultant effect, he said, would lead to decrease in travel time and improved productivity.
“Our government wants to bring about a quick journey time through our traffic solution. The way we want to do it is to have an online real-time study of what the issues are. We are going to analyse the dimension of observed challenges and discuss next steps of solution we are bringing,” he said.
As part of the measures being initiated to achieve free flow of traffic, Sanwo-Olu hinted that the mode of toll collection at the Ikoyi-Link bridge would completely go electronic, disclosing that a new method of payment would take off in October. The governor urged motorists plying the route to apply ahead for electronic access cards at Lagos Tolling Company in compliance with the new service.
“This means that motorists will not be paying cash. The process to implement this is on, and we will come up with a seamless electronic solution. We are giving three months notice to residents and motorists to prepare ahead. By the time this is done, we believe some of the bottlenecks in and around Ikoyi would be reduced and we are hoping there would be free flow of traffic,” he assured.
He also hinted that the size of the roundabout at the Admiralty road would be reduced for the purpose of traffic diffusion.
Sanwo-Olu, who also visited the scene of recurring flood near the Abraham Adesanya Junction to inspect the cause of the clogged drainage in the area, said Office of the Drainage Services had been directed to ensure free flow of water in the clogged drainages and canals in Ajah area.
“We have had several complaints about how long it takes people moving around Ajah Bus Stop. We are going to push a major layby, where we can take commercial vehicles off the road. We have realised that commercial vehicles are the major cause of traffic at the spot. We are going to push the layby there and cut it off, so that motorists moving inward to Victoria Island can have an easy way. We are looking at both lanes to reduce journey time,” said Sanwo-Olu who believed the measures being already taken and those to be adopted in later days, weeks and months will help to shorten the time Lagosians spend on the roads and improve quality of their lives.
Bimbo Fatoki, a resident of Lekki, said the measures being considered by the government such as the proposed removal of the roundabout close to the Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge was a welcome development.
“This is a welcome development and I think also that the roundabout in this area should be taken out because it is also part of the problem,” said Fatoki.
