Following the mandates earlier given to the Constituted Special Traffic Management Enforcement Team by the Governor of Lagos State, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu to find lasting solutions to the incessant Apapa gridlock, the Lagos State Government has continued to engage the trailer/truck owners unions and other stakeholders in view of finding long-lasting solutions to the traffic congestion on that corridor and in the State at large.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Hon. Oluwatoyin Fayinka, who is also the Chairman of the Special Traffic Management Team, at a Stakeholders Meeting with representatives of trailer and truck owners unions which was held at Adeyemi Bero Auditorium, the Secretariat, Ikeja, restated that any truck outside the call-up lists generated by the Nigerian Ports Authority would be impounded if caught obstructing the flow of traffic on the roads.
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He disclosed that petitions from residents of Apapa, Ijora, Tincan, Sifax, and Mile 2 received by the Ministry of Transportation, has been forwarded to his team against truckers unruly behavior on the road which has prevented other road users from accessing their desired destinations with ease, appealing further to Stakeholders to cooperate with the State Government to remedy the situation.
The Special Adviser declared that non-compliance from trailer and truck operators will meet the full weight of the Law, advising that they utilize the grace period to get their act together and conform to directives issued out, he added that vehicles in poor conditions should be prevented from entering the ports and will be sanctioned if caught operating within the metropolis.
Fayinka also affirmed that the Nigerian Port Authority, the Nigeria Police, Federal Road Safety Corps, and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority is working with his Team hand in hand with the information provided to manage traffic into Apapa and prevent the loitering of trailers and trucks along the road which damage road infrastructure and contributes to traffic gridlock.
The representative of the Nigerian Ports Authority, Ayodele Durowaye while lauding Stakeholders present for their frank talk on the Apapa situation, declared that the primary responsibility of N.P.A was cargo handling, stressing that the responsibility of keeping trucks at truck parks and holding bays during the process of port activities was solely that of the operators.
He alluded that trucks parked indiscriminately under and on the bridge as well as highways were an aberration and unbefitting in the Lagos Smart City Master plan, stating further that the State Government was within her rights to impound any truck causing obstruction and violating the States’ Traffic law as the ports were transit points that have been designed to cater for cargos temporarily.
The NPA Representative also assured that the Agency will submit the routing plan showing the allotted movement for trucks to shed more light on the impediments caused by the indiscriminate stop and search that tamper with the call-up roaster and causing the delay, recommending that allegations leveled against the Shipping lines, should be addressed with petitions which will enable penalties, including Ship Entry Notice Denials and Cancellation of licenses of the shipping line to be exerted.
AFRICA TODAY NEWS, NEW YORK