On the march again

Editorial

It was an epochal three-in-one event that showcased brilliantly the beauty of creativity, continuity and consistency, from policy and project conceptualisation to implementation, and ultimate delivery. We refer to the formal commissioning last Tuesday by the Lagos State Governor, Mr. Babajide Sanwo-Olu, of the Oshodi-Abule-Egba Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) corridor, the unveiling of 550 high and medium capacity buses to ply the route and the formal inauguration of the first phase of the futuristic e-ticketing system that will usher in integrated cashless payment cards across transportation modes in the state.

This expansive and ambitious project shows that Lagos, despite formidable odds and constraints, is steadily on the march in its ongoing evolution as a major model megacity in Africa. Covering a distance of 13.6km, the new BRT corridor serves such huge population hubs as Alimosho, Egbeda, Ijaiye, Iyana-Ipaja and Oshodi within Lagos, as well as Ogun State and Benin Republic beyond it. The corridor is serviced by 14 drop-off terminals, 11 pedestrian bridges, traffic safety measures, street lights as well as infrastructure for a planned rail mass transit.

The newly introduced high and medium capacity buses will convey not less than 60,000 commuters daily; reduce travel time from two hours at peak periods to at least 30 minutes along the route, thus boosting productive man hours, positively impacting public health and also reducing environmental pollution. A lot of thought and planning clearly went into this project. With traffic management and transportation being a major component of its THEMES development agenda, the Sanwo-Olu administration could well have taken sole glory for the project as is all too often the case.

But the governor was gracious enough to acknowledge the role of the preceding Akinwumi Ambode administration in initiating the project, and this surely takes nothing away from the fact it was modified, accelerated and actualised by the current government. That is as it should be. Development must be about adding value rather than being ego-driven. Indeed, the agency that supervised the project, the Lagos Area Metropolitan Transportation Agency (LAMATA), was established by the Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu administration and it has driven the expansion and consolidation of the BRT concept across steadily increasing areas of the state through successive administrations. Other states surely have a lesson to learn from such positive continuity.

Governor Sanwo-Olu rightly commended the people for their forbearance in the wake of the immense discomfort and traffic inconvenience during the construction of the facility. This should certainly be a source of hope for residents and commuters in other parts of the state currently experiencing traffic difficulties due to ongoing construction work. After the pain, there will surely come soothing relief.

Although residents of the communities serviced by these facilities were understandably excited at the anticipated elevation in their quality of life, they must not be unmindful of the fact that we still remain in the shadows of the coronavirus pandemic, with its negative implications for public transportation. Thus, due to new public health protocols, the new buses, for instance, will only be able to carry limited number of passengers with the consequent hike in ticket pricing.

While the members of the public are expected to understand the situation, the private companies running the joint partnership with government must as much as possible look beyond the bottom line. Economic considerations must be balanced with welfare concerns, at least in the interim, to make it a win-win situation for all. No less critical is the need to ensure proper routine maintenance of the buses. There had been widespread complaints about the rapid rate of deterioration of the buses on earlier BRT routes, with a good number of them becoming mechanical, environmental and health hazards within a short time. Measures must be devised to ensure the durability and care of facilities provided at such huge cost.