Lagos, Nigeria’s biggest commercial city’s quest to become a mega or smart city and a 21st Century economy, will depend, to a large extent, on the government’s political will to effectively solve its failed transportation system, public and private sector transportation experts have said.
The experts, who spoke on Tuesday in a virtual meeting put together by the United States Consulate in Nigeria with the theme, ‘The Never-Ending Story, Lagos Traffic Congestion: What Can be Done? Will it be Done?, note that improving traffic situation by investing in a three-leg transport system such as rail, mass buses transit and ferries, will not only improve traffic situation, but also drive job creation and business growth.
For them, not only does the state’s increasing gridlock killing productivity and limiting the growth of businesses, it is also causing severe physical and mental stress for the average Lagosian who stays in traffic for an average of 10 hours a day in order to carry out his daily activities.
To ease the traffic jam and pressure on Lagos roads, residents would have to make efficient use of its roads and other transport channels.
Robin Hutcheson, director of public works, Minneapolis, USA, said the state must have a functional transportation system capable of commuting people with ease.
According to Hutcheson, Lagos State is fast becoming a world economy that is growing rapidly. However, to support the growth of its economy, it needs investment but investors would be much more interested in coming if they see there is an ease for people to get to work.
“To ease traffic in a city like Lagos would mean to repurpose space and effectively remove more people per hour and per lane by converting a lot of space to bus-only lane. One single person in a car is not efficient use of space,” she said.
Taking a clue from her vast experience in transport management, she said, studies have shown that for every dollar invested in transit, cities get as much as $2.90 in benefits.
“To be competitive in the market, cities must invest hugely to achieve a good transport network. With that more jobs will be created,” she said, explaining that in most cases, the business community happens to bear the biggest burden in the form of reduced employees’ productivity and increasing cost.
Lagos should make more use of efficient public transportation as opposed to the many private vehicles, which she said, have a higher occupancy rate. She also called for the use of technology in increasing the use of waterways transport, vehicle restraint schemes, rail rapid transit, parking restrictions and public transport improvement.
“These should include improved connectivity options such as sidewalks, bike lanes, trams, metro, bus, light rails, train, and additional creative options to foster connectivity between buildings, facilities,” she said.
Frank Aigbogun, publisher of BusinessDay Newspapers, blamed lack of effective policy at all tiers of government for the traffic menace on Lagos roads.
Aigbogun decried threats to lives of commuters on a daily basis and the dwindling employees’ productivity, as they spend as much as 30 hours in traffic every week, a time synonymous to a full monthly work time an average employee spends working in Europe.
He however wondered why a city like Lagos, being a major contributor to the Nigeria’s economy, is being ignored for many years by the Federal Government.
According to Aigbogun, ”Some time ago, I was with the vice president and the minister of finance, and I asked them why a greater percentage of the revenue contributed by Lagos, being the economic and commercial capital of Nigeria, cannot be used in finding solution to the perennial traffic logjam in Lagos.”
For Lagos to come off the traffic menace, government must be serious on revolutionising public mass transit transportation system, focus more on functional water transportation system as a way of utilising the natural resource of a coastal city, he said.
“Any serious government must evolve a defined solution and effective implementation of policies and programmes that will guarantee quality of lives to its citizens. He insisted that both the Federal and Lagos State governments must be part of the solution to the traffic quagmire that has bedevilled the city,” he said.
As a long-term solution to the problem, Innocent Ogwude, a professor of Transport Management and former vice chancellor, FUTO, Imo State, recommended a good land use planning, which he believed could discourage everybody from commuting at the same time to one destination. Usually, the island in the city, where most businesses operate, Ogwude said, advising that government should plan its land use in such a way that the outskirts of the town should also be viable and attractive with thriving businesses.
“I am of the opinion that lorry (truck) parks should be built on the outskirts of Lagos, from where the lorries should come into the metropolis on call. And they should only ply the roads in the night,” he said.
The professor stressed that everybody shouldn’t be going to one particular place like Victoria Island and Apapa for business, noting that the problem of congestion in Apapa could be solved by completing the Lekki Deep-Sea Port and also building another Deep-Sea Port in Akwa-Ibom State.
“Apapa should be relieved if this is done,” he reasoned, adding that urban transportation should be made attractive so that private capital would be invested in that sector.
On the things Lagos State has been doing to improve the situation, Fredrick Oladeinde, Lagos State commissioner of transportation, agreed with the thoughts of the keynote speaker, which believed that a city as populated as Lagos required the United Nations’ Sustainable Urban Mobility Solution.
Oladeinde pointed out the fact that Lagos had given a lot in terms of fertilising its mass transit system through investing heavily in mass transit and creating BRT corridors along densely populated areas such as Ikorodu to CMS, Oshodi to Abule-Igba, which would soon be commissioned as well as CMS to Okokomaiko.
The population of Lagos State, according to Oladeinde, is over 21 million, and when you talk about urbanisation, there is need to consider the population, which can lead to congestion, if not well managed.
“Lagos State has also been investing heavily on water transportation, and building jetties. We initially brought in about 14 boats and we are also encouraging private sector to bring in more boats so that people can use water transport. Lagos is also working on mass transit, which will encourage people to leave their vehicles at home and use mass transit that is safe and secure,” he said.
Noting that the keynote speaker talked about using walking, cycling and mass transit to tackle congestion, he said the trio is about using space, which is limited in the state because Lagos is about the smallest state with heavy population.
“This is why we need to tackle traffic congestion using Sustainable Urban Mobility Solution, which the state is working on. We are also working on smart city by introducing technology to manage traffic congestion. Technology will ensure that people do not abuse the system. We are also encouraging investors to come into the BRT mass transit.
He however stated that the state is also working hard to reorganise the public transport system in order to encourage investors to come in because the system on ground now, is an unorganised public transport.
Earlier in her welcome remark, Claire Pierangelo, consul general of United States, who stated that there was a role for the private sector, media, government leaders, traditional leaders and academia as well as the diplomatic community to finding solutions to the transportation and traffic challenges in Lagos, said the situation had greater impact for not only the economic development of Lagos State, but also for Nigeria at large.
According to Pierangelo, the US Mission in Nigeria decided to start conservation around the traffic congestion in the state in order to help search for solutions, by allowing experts to talk about best practices that needed to be adopted.
It is important that the state tackles the transportation and traffic issues going by the fact that the traffic situation in Lagos has greater economic impact on businesses in Lagos, a city that is the heart of economic activities in Nigeria, she said.
