The need for a central database was again highlighted as the bane to the successful implementation and enforcement of traffic offences in Nigeria. Traffic managers at a seminar organised by Data Sciences Nigeria Limited in partnership with UK based Startraq UK Limited and Tele-Traffic UK in Lagos are of the view that for the traffic officer to perform efficiently, there is need to have database of citizens so that offenders could be easily traced.
The organisers of the seminar which was held to showcase technology that are used to tackle traffic infractions said traffic law enforcement using camera to capture and process road traffic infractions like speed limits, red light violations, seat belt violations, driving against traffic and turn & U-turn will ostensibly put road users on their toes and force them to obey traffic laws.
Speaking at the seminar which had in attendance traffic officers from the Ogun State Traffic Compliance And Enforcement Corps (TRACE) and the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Gbenga Opesanwo, special adviser to the Ogun State governor on transportation, who doubled as the chairman of the event, warned that even though the use of Information Technology (IT) in traffic management cannot be overemphasised, it will be a collateral damage for some states that are gradually embracing technology not to have a database of its citizens.
“Absence of database is still the bane of traffic management in the country, with it, accountability is ensured as traffic infractions recorded are trace to the offender. Emphasis must be placed on data control, otherwise we are planning to fail,” he stressed.
Most of the work done in traffic management are manual, making the work of traffic management such a Herculean task. But with Tele-Traffic cameras enabled by StarTraq solutions that Data Sciences, Nigeria’s first indigenous IT company is bringing to Nigeria, succour looks the way of traffic management in Nigeria.
During an interactive session with journalists at the event, Aniekan Etiebet, managing director of Data Sciences Nigeria Limited, said that without doubt, when Nigeria embraces the solution the spate of traffic offences and general road indiscipline in the country will be reduced to the barest minimum.
“All over the world, there are places where crime has been completely wiped out. But I can assure Nigerians that StarTraq and Tele-Traffic has a track record of managing traffic positively in United Kingdom (UK) and some parts of the world, Nigeria cannot be an exception,” he assured.
The StarTraq Dome software solution can be adapted to process almost any offence type. In the traffic enforcement arena, the Dome can be used to provide a single back office solution for the processing of road traffic violations. It can be integrated with all enforcement cameras types (digital or non-digital), it can process any road traffic offence type with video, image or paper evidence.
Of most important for the traffic management solution, is the graphical workflow which allows for easy configuration in line with local legislation. It also has a full document management system to efficiently process an offence from start to finish.
As Brian Carbarns, International Business Development Manager at StarTraq UK Limited puts it, StarTraq Dome, the traffic software technology that offers dynamic offence and management enforcement services manages offence processing to customer’s own specification.
For example, offences are automatically processed through the client specific and flexible workflow, rules and permissions are set to reflect local legislation and practice while different rules can be set per location code.
It also supports different languages and currencies, the three Nigerian major languages are embedded in it. Traffic is gradually becoming an interesting thing in Nigeria as population rises every day.
Stakeholders are asking companies like StarTraq and Tele-traffic for some sort of advocacy and sensitisation for citizens through the different states. Some are even urging stakeholders in education to include traffic management as a course of study in Nigerian universities.
Ben Uzor Jr
