The Nation Newspaper

Tag: gridlocks

  • Motorists, commuters lament gridlocks on Lagos-Ibadan expressway

    Motorists and commuters plying Lagos Ibadan Expressway have lamented over the constant gridlocks that most times locked down the road.

    Those heading out of Lagos spend several hours in the snarling traffic from the Long Bridge to Magboro bus stop, following the narrowing of the road due to the ongoing construction.

    Also, the incessant breakdown of vehicles on the narrowed road prevents smooth-driving, causing heavy traffic for hours on the road.

    The motorists and commuters, however, urged the Ogun State government to emulate Lagos State in setting up a rescue plan to remove vehicles on the road.

    The state law enforcement agents were also urged to be strict in arresting drivers fond of driving against traffic whenever there is a gridlock on the road.

    A Magboro resident, who works on Lagos Island, Mrs. Yemisi Ayeni, told The Nation that it is now a regular occurrence to be held up in a gridlock when returning from work in the evenings.

    “I don’t think the Ogun State government knows the importance of the state’s proximity to Lagos State because if they do, they should learn from them in terms of rescue efforts.

    Read also: Traffic diversion on Lagos-Ibadan expressway begins today

    “Most times, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) is overwhelmed by the gridlock and this is where the Ogun State government needs to assist in reducing the long hours commuters spend on the road each day. We know that construction is ongoing, but the slow pace of work by the contractors has made life difficult for people plying the area, especially when coming back from work in the evenings,” she lamented.

    A commercial driver, Akeem Jimoh, however, blamed the regular gridlock on indiscipline by commuters, who are fond of taking “one-way”.

    “I think with patience, the gridlock will ease but most drivers plying the road are just not patient enough and most times, drive against traffic. Long hours are spent on the road every day, but I have made up my mind not to drive against traffic, regardless of the gridlock.

    “Also, the contractors, Julius Berger should also hasten up the construction on the road to allow for smooth passage for those heading out of Lagos,” he said.

  • Road users lament gridlocks on Lagos-Badagry road

    Road users lament gridlocks on Lagos-Badagry road

    Road users have lamented the slow pace of expansion and reconstruction work on the Lagos-Badagry expressway, saying it has increased the hardship daily experienced on the road.

    The road users expressed their concerns in separate interviews with the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) on Thursday.

    Mr Seyi Olaolu, a road user, complained about the prolonged construction work and the hardship on the road.

    He urged the contractors to increase the work pace to ensure quick completion of the project to bring succour to the road users.

    ““The suffering on this road has lingered for too long, and I can only urge the contractors and the Lagos State Government to expedite action to ensure that the project is completed without further delay,’’ he said.

    Mr Dele Isaac, another road user, also complained about the slow pace of work on the road.

    “”I was thinking that by now enough progress would have been made on this road, but we just see the contractors working in different portions without noticeable progress.

    ““The stress on this road is getting unbearable,” he said.

    Others, however, expressed satisfaction at the pace and quality of work, and the prospect of stress free drive on the road, when completed.

    Mrs Patience Akide, a road user, commended the state government for the work done so far on the road.

    ““Though the construction work is causing some discomfort but when it is concluded, the road users will be comforted.

    “”We should learn to be patient at all times and to support government when they do this kind of project,’’ she said.

    Mr Fidel Okha also expressed satisfaction at the quality and pace of the work.

    ““The progress of work so far is encouraging and most of us are eagerly waiting for its completion.

    He urged the state government to display more commitment to complete the project on time.

    Mr Six Laudine, an engineer with the China Civil Engineering and Construction Company (CCECC) handling the project, assured that the road would be completed in 2019 as scheduled.

    Laudine, however, complained about the unruly behaviour of commercial drivers whose attitudes on the road worsened the traffic situation.

    According to him, the behaviour of the commercial drivers has continued to slow down the process of getting materials to the project sites.

    “”The work is on course and we are making steady progress, but the traffic gridlocks can be reduced if road users maintain some level of discipline.

    ““The yellow buses are particularly culpable here; they stop indiscriminately on the roads, and even slow down our movement of materials to sites.

    ““We implore the authorities to adopt more effective traffic control systems in the interest of the road users as well as the construction workers,” he said.

    NAN reports that work was almost completed on the first and second segments of the road, spanning from Orile-Iganmu to the Festac Town third gate at Alakija, which has been partially opened for use by motorists.

    Excavation, construction of drainages and other construction works are also ongoing on different sections of the third segment from the Trade Fair to Okokomaiko.

  • Gridlocks, insecurity ‘ll soon be over, says commissioner

    Lagos State Commissioner for Home Affairs, Dr AbdulHakeem AbdulLateef has assured Lagosians that the major problems confronting them would end soon.

    He described the personalities in the state executive council as people with vast knowledge and great potentials, whose impact would begin to materialise in no time.

    He urged Lagosians to be patient with the Akinwunmi Ambode-led administration.

    AbdulLateef attributed the problems confronting the state to the high influx of people because of its unprecedented infrastructural development over the years.

    He said: “There is no state as attractive as Lagos, this has made the influx of people in the state at a monumental level higher than that of any other state in the country. Lagos is the only mega city in Nigeria, so if you develop infrastructure, you must expect that people will abandon those states without infrastructure for a state like Lagos, making the challenges of running the state enormous.”

    Expressing dismay at the rising crime wave in the Centre of Excellence, the commissioner said the state would embark on data gathering of all residents, institutions and organisations to ascertain those operating in the state.

    He said: “If you look at Lagos today, there are so many people coming in, even from neighbouring countries like Chad, Niger, Ghana among others and even beyond. We are not going to wait until an explosion is heard before we  address the issue of insecurity. We want to understand who and who is living in Lagos and where? That is why we want to embark on data gathering; we want to have a data of all churches and Mosques, social organisations, residents and all other institutions that operate in the state.”

    AbdulLateef also attributed the massive gridlocks encountered by Lagosians  daily to impatience.

    He said: “The fact that we don’t want to apply extreme force on Lagosians has given rise to this. Extreme force to obey law and order should be the last thing in a civil society. Lagosians should understand that what we practice is an inclusive government. Therefore, you should not disobey traffic rules and volunteer to control traffic. By doing these, we will see the gridlocks will be a thing of the past.  The Home Affairs unit will take it on itself to engage the people and make them understand what civil culture means.”

  • Warri’s endless traffic gridlocks

    Warri’s endless traffic gridlocks

    Warri, the commercial nerve centre of Delta State, usually witnesses traffic gridlocks, which have been traced to bad spots across the stretch of the roads, writes BOLAJI OGUNDELE

    Governor Emmanuel Uduaghan, to an average Delta State indigene or resident, is a performer. Not a few believe that the governor, especially in his second term, has doubled efforts to improve the state of the road networks in the oil-rich enclave.

    But, for residents of Warri metropolis and its environs, the state of roads in many parts of the city is still a source of concern. As a result of this, traffic jams have been a daily experience in the metropolis.

    Warri is small in size, but it is criss-crossed by one of the most complex road networks in the southern part of Nigeria. It is thus not uncommon to hear people make statements, such as “Only God knows what these people (government officials) are doing, there’s no reason why we should be experiencing this” or “if you get to the front now, you will see no real reason for this traffic jam”.

    Niger Delta Report found out that the road jams are mostly occasioned by bad spots, which usually are not longer than 50 to 150 metres. In some other cases, the bad spots are recently created by another set of public messengers, who are tasked with the responsibility of taking pipe-borne water to households in the city. In the process of carrying out their task, especially when they have to take pipelines from one side of the road to the other, they have had to break across hitherto good roads to be able to dig the ground and lay pipes. At the end of laying these pipes, the breaches created on the roads are merely covered with raw earth, which have been washed away by the ceaseless rains of Warri, leaving scores of gapping junctions across the city.

    Some road users said they were looking up to the government to correct the situation. Some summed the situation up as government’s ineptitude.

    Commissioner for Works Solomon Funkekeme did not pick his call, neither respond to a text message sent to him before filing this report.