What are the prospects of e-tolling proposed to begin between January 1st and 4th on the Lekki-Epe Expressway and the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge by Lagos State Government to ease traffic gridlock?, asks ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE, who observes that there are lingering issues that may impede its enforcement.

 

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 challenges and discuss next steps of solution we are bringing,” This was Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu, when unveiling his administration’s plans to confront the perennial traffic gridlock on the Lekki-Ajah-Epe corridor, a phase that has defied all manners of solutions by successive administrations.

The governor, after an assessment of the corridor in August, announced a  toll free day in order to allow traffic count by government’s traffic consultants working on decongesting the Lekki-Epe Expressway and the Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge. He also hinted of a new regime of toll collection.

He said: “In  October, the partners that we are working with will introduce software that will allow electronic collection of toll fees.

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.”

The e-tolling notice, served by the government, will end on December 31. Beginning from January 1, tolling at both toll plazas is expected to go cashless.

In a statement on Tuesday December 17, the Lekki Concession Company Limited (LCC), operator of Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge toll plaza, restated that cash would no longer be tenable or acceptable as means of payment at the plaza.

“Road users are, therefore, advised to visit LCC customer centres to obtain toll devices, prepaid cards or payment vouchers for passages at the Lekki-Ikoyi bridge plaza,” the statement said.

While completely foreclosing cash transactions at the Lekki-Ikoyi bridge plaza, the LCC, however, gave an indication that cash will still be acceptable at the Admiralty Circle Toll Plaza.

When the Lekki-Epe Expressway was conceived and executed at the turn of the millennium, it was West Africa’s first Public Private Partnership (PPP) project, pioneering a 30-year toll road concession in Nigeria to Messrs LCC.

The road, which is Nigeria’s first experiment at a PPP road project, saw the rehabilitation and upgrade of 49km of existing two-lane dual carriageway to a three-lane highway.

There was also  an introduction of three toll plazas (with a maximum 22 lanes/plaza) and the construction of new 20km highway along the south coast of the Epe peninsula.

A statement on the website of the project’s major consultant, Rendel Limited, said when the project won three major finance industry awards: Africa Investor’s 2008 Transport Deal of the Year; Project Finance International’s 2008 African Infrastructure Deal of the Year; and Project Finance’s 2008 Africa PPP Deal of the Year when it was delivered.

Although the public has applauded Governor Sanwo-Olu for his commitment to ridding the state, including the Lekki-Victoria Island-Ajah-Epe axis, of intractable traffic, some have argued that the continued collection of tolls at both plazas is illegal and should be stopped forthwith.

They regard tolling on “a road that was merely upgraded from a dual carriage-way to a three-lane highway”,  as double jeopardy to residents whose sweat created the funds used for constructing the roads.

One of them is Ebun-Olu Adegboruwa, SAN, who urged Governor Sanwo-Olu to be cautious on the issue and seek other ways of decongesting the roads, which he described as “a huge disservice to the state’s economy.”

Adegboruwa, therefore, called on Lagos State House of Assembly to the defend the people and take steps to stop the government from continuing on its path of illegality.

Tracing the genesis of his legal and human rights advocacy on the toll issue, Adegboruwa said he had taken the government to court on the Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge and a court of competent jurisdiction under Justice Seidu had ruled against the construction of a toll plaza on the bridge.

He said: “Justice Seidu in March 2014, had nullified the collection of toll on the Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge and that ruling is still subsisting as there has not been any appeal setting it aside.

I therefore appealed to the Lagos State government to obey the judgment of the court and dismantle the toll system on the Lekki-Ikoyi Bridge.”

According to him, the state government had earlier claimed that the roads were upgraded with a loan from the African Development bank AfDB, but after the AfDB refuted the tale, it became clear that the road was constructed from tax payers’ money.

He described the flagrant disobedience to a subsisting court order as unbecoming of a state of excellence, urging the governor to toe a saner path and not continue with the “recklessness of the past.

Adegboruwa said: “The people living along the Lekki-Epe have been the people generating the bulk of the funds being used by Lagos State with nothing to show for it.

Majority of the private and industrial developments  in Lagos State are going on in that axis. Look at the Dangote Refinery, on the average, 20 to 50 new building foundations are being laid along this corridor on daily basis, yet, that entire zone has nothing to show for it.

There is no General Hospital, no single higher institution, no market, we are left to migrate every day to Lagos Island and Lagos Mainland because of lack of social infrastructure.”

Although he condemned the level of man-hour being wasted in the gridlock and its negative impact on the economy, Adegboruwa, however, said what that axis needs is not e-tolling but the establishment of social amenities that will cut down the traffic experienced on the road.

He said it is sad that the Lekki-Ikoyi link bridge, which services the residences of high profile people in the society and the country, is poorly served and notorious for gridlock in the state.

“You will be shocked to know that very high profiled Nigerians among them judges, senators, Managing Directors, and other top brass professionals live in Lekki Phase 1 and they remain in that traffic for hours going and returning from work. That is a huge disservice to the economy of Lagos State.”

Like Adegboruwa, another resident, Patrick Adenusi, a transportation and traffic management consultant, is bitter that the state government would abandon the Lekki-Victoria Island-Ajah corridor, which according to him, has about 60 per cent of the state’s landmass.

He, however, differed from Adegboruwa’s position, which  did not support tolling. He reasoned that since the people have come to accept tolling as a way of life, perhaps they should be allowed to be in peace, rather than “revisiting an infested sore”.

To him, the cashless tolling may fail if the government does not support it with necessary initiatives that can sustain it.

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He said the government needs to ensure that a pay point is created for cash transaction not only on the Lekki-Epe Expressway, but on the Lekki-Ikoyi Link Bridge to accommodate those who may have the need to pay cash.

“Even though ultimately everyone would want to be on the tapping lanes, by just loading cash on to their cards, but until then, government must continue to encourage them by ensuring that an avenue is created to pay cash for you to enjoy the road,” he said.

Adenusi listed the main issue on both axis of the road as road abuse and reckless driving not only by commercial bus operators, but “by people you will otherwise consider as sane and educated or well placed in the society”.

“Most times,” he said, “you see very senior security officer, top politician, judges, Managing Directors driving against traffic, with their security details brazenly jumping out of the vehicle to clear the road for their principals.” To him, the Lekki-Epe expressway is a three-lane road, but one hardly sees it being maintained.

“What you see on that road is a three-lane turned into six lanes both ways and approaching the toll plazas you find such indiscipline still obtaining as illegal lanes will want to shunt, creating confusion,” he added.

He, therefore, advocated the introduction of the e-tolling system along with clear road markings to indicate the road as three-lane and strict enforcement of fines to ensure that motorists keep to the markings and road signs.

He noted that Lagos State government stands to gain humongous revenue from lane defaulters, but it keeps losing out because the roads are not clearly marked to elicit motorists’ compliance.

For Adenusi, the Lekki-Epe corridor with only one in-let and out-let as bad as it is, could become a pilot scheme to test-run strict lane discipline by the government.

Lessons learnt, according to him, could be adapted to other parts of the state thereby restoring order and sanity on the state’s road network.

He said: “I will advocate that the government make use of the Lekki-Epe corridor to test its resolve to restore sanity on the roads with its traffic management and transportation mantra. Let the government carry out proper road markings on the road.

“Secondly, let them partner non-government organisations working in that field to sensitise the people, especially the motoring public, thirdly let there be strict enforcement of traffic regulations regarding lane defaulters and reckless driving (one-way driving).

If these are done there would be  sanity on the road and we can then take the successes to other road networks in the state.”

The government, he said,  is culpable of traffic debacle that daily plays out along that axis because of lack of traffic signs and road markings. “It is as if government is telling us, we are only interested in your money, which they collect at the plaza and not in making sure you enjoy your journey while on the road.”

He said government must begin to place attention on making travel time enjoyable for the public, adding that it is necessary because the average worker, no matter his status in life spends a high percentage of his time daily on the road.

 

According to Adenusi, the state loses about N5billion daily to traffic congestion, considering excess money spent in fueling cars every time an extra hour is spent on the road. He lamented that the government is losing huge  money because of lack of tact in implementing solutions than can make travel time pleasurable for motorists.

 

“Each time I see the huge traffic congestion we caused as a result of our negligence or the kind of choices we  make, I see a state that is sitting on a keg of gun-powder and nakedly playing with fire.

“God forbid, if there is a huge crisis that would warrant the evacuation of Lagosians in a hurry, many will perish because we will just lock ourselves on the road unable to move because of our desperation.

It speaks to deficiency of planning by the government and I would sincerely love that Governor Sanwo-Olu takes another look at this and gives the right leadership that will whip his people into line by enforcing discipline.”