The Lagos State Government (LASG) on Tuesday, through Steve Ayorinde, the state commissioner for Information and Strategy, during the maiden edition of the Lagos Traffic Radio Lecture Series, disclosed that the government would do all within it’s power to attract investors through the reduction of traffic congestion in the state.
“This administration is determined to make Lagos State and investor’s delight, a place where every investor gets its money’s worth. For this to become a reality, the traffic situation must be well managed, a task which the traffic radio is wholly committed to fulfilling”
“For us to accomplish the free flow of traffic in a megalopolis state like Lagos, we all have significant roles to play; we must obey traffic regulations as well as comply with traffic rules. LASTMA officials are our brothers and sisters; we must cooperate with them in order to keep Lagos traffic moving,” he said.
Ayorinde said that the lecture series was informed by the need for regular interface of ideas by stakeholders in the transportation sector and to also proffer solution to the ever increasing traffic challenges in the state.
In his remark, the state’s Commissioner of Transport, Ekundayo Mobereola, said about $7.5 million was lost to traffic gridlock in Lagos daily, and that uneven urban growth and development, inadequate transport infrastructure, limited alternatives to vehicular transportation, and lack of high capacity vehicles are responsible for the traffic gridlock.
“All of these lead to chronic traffic congestion and thus contribute to noise and air pollution in Lagos. We identified all the areas where the Lagos State plans to develop either residential, commercial, social activities that are going to generate trips or traffic. We have come to realise that if we don’t plan with the land use we are just going to be shooting ourselves in the foot,” he said.
Hopefully, we will be saying goodbye to the traffic gridlocks because the state government has been provided the opportunity to come up with a strategic transport master plan for Lagos,” he said.
