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Tag: Lamata

  • Gridlock: LAMATA goes for bicycle, walking option

    Gridlock: LAMATA goes for bicycle, walking option

    Lagos traffic, many say, is stressful. To address the traffic hassle, the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) is pushing for Non-Motorised Transportation (NMT), such as cycling and walking. How feasible is NMT in Lagos? Some experts say it is a pipe dream. But LAMATA argues that NMT will give the city a world class transportation system. Adeyinka Aderibigbe writes.

    To the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) Acting Managing Director Mr Iyiola Adegboye, non-motorised transportation is the way to address traffic congestion in the city.

    According to Adegboye, motorised transportation is one of the lead causes of air pollution, carbon emission, congestion and deaths on the road.

    He said LAMATA is determined to champion the change for a cleaner and healthier form of transportation.

    Road transportation, according to him, accounts for 22 per cent of global carbon-dioxide emission and 1.3 million deaths yearly, with 50 million injured.

    At a workshop jointly organised by LAMATA and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in Lagos, Adegboye said the damage done by motorised transportation through emission and pollution must be checked to preserve the environment and save the future.

    Many countries, he said, have embraced NMT, like cycling and walking, noting that in the past trekking was the in thing among the old generation.

    He listed the advantages of  NMT to include reduction in road crashes, energy conservation and road cost saving.

    Others are reduced risk of mortality, improvement in value of time, reduction in congestion, and mitigation of climate change.

    He said there was the need to tap into the huge benefits and direct attention towards promoting the mode, providing the infrastructure and promoting their use.

    Adegboye said: “The authority has resolved to begin to articulate strategies for the take-off of trekking and cycling as new components of the state’s Strategic Transportation Master Plan and incorporate these in the state’s traffic laws. The Authority shall also provide separate infrastructure where appropriate for the use of cyclists, or those trekking; incorporate standards of provision for cyclists and pedestrians in new road infrastructure design and incorporate responsibilities to provide for non-motorised transport in road fund statutes and procedures.”

     

    Return of the old

     

    Indeed, in the 60s up to the late 70s, non-motorised mode of transportation was planned into the transportation architecture of Nigeria. Many of the emerging urban centres had road networks where a lane was dedicated to cyclists in government’s determination to promote the non-motorised transportation as a cardinal pillar of transportation infrastructure, especially for short distances.

    In Lagos and the federal capital, a handful of roads are designed to accommodate bicycle lanes and walkways. The Eko Bridge and Carter Bridge for instance had these features.

    Those days, a cyclist, riding with relish on the roads and especially on these bridges were a common sight. But the discovery of crude oil and attendant affluence had since erased that, as the emerging middle class choose to celebrate their new found status with new motor cars.

    The pressure to accommodate the increase in the volume of vehicles plying the roads, saw to the jettisoning of the bicycle lane features which were soon totally abolished across many of the nation’s road network. This was the case until two years ago when former Governor Babatunde Fashola, through the supervision of LAMATA, piloted their re-introduction through two roads – in Surulere and (Wempco Road, Agidingbi), Ikeja, where bicycle lanes were specifically created as an added feature of the road rehabilitation contract.

    Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, (as he then was), stated that all new road projects to be awarded in the state would have a dedicated lane for bicycle riders, as part of the commitment of the government to igniting a bicycle riding revolution among Lagosians.

    For Fashola, the bane of bicycle riding was the lack of infrastructure, and pledged that government would promote bike riding and trekking, especially on short distances, as part of measures to address air pollution, carbon emission and traffic congestion.

     

    Not new

     

    The ‘bicycle riding’ revolution as part of the bigger non-motorised transportation or ecomobility transportation initiative wasn’t exactly new.

    Former Transportation Minister Chief Ojo Maduekwe, had championed the revolution as far back as 2000. As Minister for Transportation, Maduekwe became the strongest advocate for bicycle riding to promote healthier population, and a cleaner environment. But the campaign soon fizzled out as Nigerians refused to buy into the initiative.

    Facilitator of the workshop, UNEP’s Share the Road Global Programme Lead Consultant Mrs. Carly Koinange, said UNEP is pushing for a paradigm shift from car-oriented transportation to people-oriented transportation because the latter, is more efficient and environmentally sustainable means of making short trips.

    According to her, UNEP is promoting environmentally friendly transportation because an increase in bicycling and walking would reduce country’s dependence on fuel and reduce premature deaths from traffic accidents each year.

    With the global road motorisation which was about 1 billion excluding two wheelers, in 2010, hitting 1.6 billion by 2013 and peaking at 2.5 billion by 2050 and an attendant 0.7 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), lost time to traffic in the Unites States, it becomes imperative for the world to tinker with the transportation systems, Koinange said.

    She said the search for new modes was behind Goal 11 of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) which focussed on making the cities safe, with key focus on the need to provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transportation system for all and the expansion of public transportation with special attention to the vulnerable- women, children and persons with disabilities.

    She, therefore, challenged LAMATA to champion the cause of a change in eco-mobility which would seek to increase accessibility to modes of transportation that promotes cleaner, safer and friendlier environment.

    Adegboye admitted that a lot would depend on how LAMATA applies itself to the challenges that make NMT a non issue in Lagos. Chief among these, the LAMATA chief said are; inconsistent and poor road design, lack of adequate and safe NMT infrastructure, scant consideration for vulnerable groups, such as children and the physically challenged, and lack of enforcement on existing infrastructure.

    Other limiting factors are the non recognition of walking and cycling as priority investment areas by government, competition of other road users who see cyclists and pedestrians as nuisance, and the safety risk of walking or cycling in Nigeria.

    These have resulted in inadequate policies regarding NMT, as well as poor implementation of NMT master plan because they are not considered as a way of dealing with increasing trend in motorised rates.

    Adegboye lamented the absence of political will to champion NMT’s cause through the legislation of relevant laws, and lack of enforcement on existing NMT facilities.

    All of these, he argued, had led to poor opinion of NMT as a modal choice by citizens and competition of other road users who see cyclists and pedestrians as a nuisance. He said to succeed; LAMATA must reduce the safety risk in walking and cycling.

    According to him, LAMATA has come up with short, medium and long-term strategies aimed at turning Lagos into a walking and cycling megacity. These include taking an NMT audit, planning, designing and construction of safe and accessible infrastructure, stronger management of pedestrian bridges and crossing that would lead to an attitudinal change among Lagosians.

     

    No NMT

     

    But for experts, this is another wrong-headed initiative that may not achieve desired results. A road safety expert, Adetokunbo Thomas, said though the NMT was a good idea, it cannot work in Lagos, because it does not fit into the state’s present transportation modes.

    He said: “Except you limit walking and cycling to intra community, there is no way it could serve the general interest of motorists.”

    According to him, “In copying things from the West, some things do not just make sense and one of them is NMT. In developed societies, they have developed multimodal systems and so they can introduce road tax which makes it a wise option for people to patronise public transportation, the reverse is the case here. Here, attention is concentrated so much on one mode of transportation and the infrastructure is too poor and inadequate to accommodate NMT.”

    Executive Director of Safety Without Borders Mr Patrick Adenusi said NMT may not work in this part because of our level of humidity.

    According to him, Lagos is sunny and a man cycling on a short distance would have perspired so much that he might need to have a shower when he gets to his destination.

    He said while it was true that the older generation used bicycles, “it must be pointed out that they never rode bicycles to social events. They only rode it to their farms.”

    Adenusi said the risk element of adopting an NMT in a city like Lagos is high. Walking or cycling on Lagos roads is extremely risky because “most motorists are not trained to drive”. He wondered how many business executives of political appointees the agency would convince to ride a bicycle to their offices.

    For Adenusi, most roads within the metropolis are no longer suitable for NMT because they have been demarcated for Bus Rapid Transit, adding that “if you have already dedicated a lane for BRT’s use, where will you give to the cyclists or pedestrians who you are encouraging to walk? Going ahead without dedicating an bicycle area would only breed confusion and make transportation more strenous”.

    He said countries that had introduced NMT not only have suitable weather and not as humid as ours, they have also developed a seamless intermodal system of transportation that promotes trekking or cycling as the last mile transportation option.

    He said: “NMT is a fantastic idea, but it is not what we need now. It can no longer work in our environment. The infrastructural requirement to re-integrate it now would be too high and I see this as another opportunity by the west to sell their bicycles to us. If we are still mopping up motorcycles because they are not in our transportation plan, why open ourselves up again as a dumping ground for bicycles? Would these people establish their manufacturing plants here, or would they just be traders interested in repatriating fortunes to their home countries?”

    Adenusi said in assisting us tackle our crisis, UNEP should be fair to Africa by trying to study our challenges rather than pushing things down our throats.”

     

    More of trains

     

    Rather than promoting NMT which may seem right but non fitting into our environment, Adenusi canvassed stronger support for the development of a robust train infrastructure.

    “What Lagos and Nigeria needed now is to have a rail network that works. If this happens, there would be a major drop in traffic congestion because people would have better, faster and more affordable option but more fundamental is that people may decide to live in the interlands and work in the urban centres.

    “An improved train service would translate to a reduction in the number of vehicles on the road, whether passenger or cargo. Many would drop their vehicles and even move out of urban centres to the peripheries, yet retain their work.”

  • Gridlock: LAMATA goes for bicycle, walking option

    Gridlock: LAMATA goes for bicycle, walking option

    Lagos traffic, many say, is stressful. To address the traffic hassle, the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) is pushing for Non-Motorised Transportation (NMT), such as cycling and walking. How feasible is NMT in Lagos? Some experts say it is a pipe dream. But LAMATA argues that NMT will give the city a world class transportation system. Adeyinka Aderibigbe writes.

    o the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) Acting Managing Director Mr Iyiola Adegboye, said  non-motorised transportation is the way to address traffic congestion in the city.

    According to Adegboye, motorised transportation is one of the lead causes of air pollution, carbon emission, congestion and deaths on the road.

    He said LAMATA is determined to champion the change for a cleaner and healthier form of transportation.

    Road transportation, according to him, accounts for 22 per cent of global carbon-dioxide emission and 1.3 million deaths yearly, with 50 million injured.

    At a workshop jointly organised by LAMATA and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), in Lagos, Adegboye said the damage done by motorised transportation through emission and pollution must be checked to preserve the environment and save the future.

    Many countries, he said, have embraced NMT, like cycling and walking, noting that in the past trekking was the in thing among the old generation.

    He listed the advantages of  NMT to include reduction in road crashes, energy conservation and road cost saving.

    Others are reduced risk of mortality, improvement in value of time, reduction in congestion, and mitigation of climate change.

    He said there was the need to tap into the huge benefits and direct attention towards promoting the mode, providing the infrastructure and promoting their use.

    Adegboye said: “The authority has resolved to begin to articulate strategies for the take-off of trekking and cycling as new components of the state’s Strategic Transportation Master Plan and incorporate these in the state’s traffic laws. The Authority shall also provide separate infrastructure where appropriate for the use of cyclists, or those trekking; incorporate standards of provision for cyclists and pedestrians in new road infrastructure design and incorporate responsibilities to provide for non-motorised transport in road fund statutes and procedures.”

     

    Return of the old

     

    Indeed, in the 60s up to the late 70s, non-motorised mode of transportation was planned into the transportation architecture of Nigeria. Many of the emerging urban centres had road networks where a lane was dedicated to cyclists in government’s determination to promote the non-motorised transportation as a cardinal pillar of transportation infrastructure, especially for short distances.

    In Lagos and the federal capital, a handful of roads are designed to accommodate bicycle lanes and walkways. The Eko Bridge and Carter Bridge for instance had these features.

    Those days, a cyclist, riding with relish on the roads and especially on these bridges were a common sight. But the discovery of crude oil and attendant affluence had since erased that, as the emerging middle class choose to celebrate their new found status with new motor cars.

    The pressure to accommodate the increase in the volume of vehicles plying the roads, saw to the jettisoning of the bicycle lane features which were soon totally abolished across many of the nation’s road network. This was the case until two years ago when former Governor Babatunde Fashola, through the supervision of LAMATA, piloted their re-introduction through two roads – in Surulere and (Wempco Road, Agidingbi), Ikeja, where bicycle lanes were specifically created as an added feature of the road rehabilitation contract.

    Governor Babatunde Raji Fashola, (as he then was), stated that all new road projects to be awarded in the state would have a dedicated lane for bicycle riders, as part of the commitment of the government to igniting a bicycle riding revolution among Lagosians.

    For Fashola, the bane of biycle riding was the lack of infrastructure, and pledged that government would promote bike riding and trekking, especially on short distances, as part of measures to address air pollution, carbon emission and traffic congestion.

     

    Not new

     

    The ‘bicycle riding’ revolution as part of the bigger non-motorised transportation or ecomobility transportation initiative wasn’t exactly new.

    Former Transportation Minister Chief Ojo Maduekwe, had championed the revolution as far back as 2000. As Minister for Transportation, Maduekwe became the strongest advocate for bicycle riding to promote healthier population, and a cleaner environment. But the campaign soon fizzled out as Nigerians refused to buy into the initiative.

    Facilitator of the workshop, UNEP’s Share the Road Global Programme Lead Consultant Mrs. Carly Koinange, said UNEP is pushing for a paradigm shift from car-oriented transportation to people-oriented transportation because the latter, is more efficient and environmentally sustainable means of making short trips.

    According to her, UNEP is promoting environmentally friendly transportation because an increase in bicycling and walking would reduce country’s dependence on fuel and reduce premature deaths from traffic accidents each year.

    With the global road motorisation which was about 1 billion excluding two wheelers, in 2010, hitting 1.6 billion by 2013 and peaking at 2.5 billion by 2050 and an attendant 0.7 per cent of Gross Domestic Product (GDP), lost time to traffic in the Unites States, it becomes imperative for the world to tinker with the transportation systems, Koinange said.

    She said the search for new modes was behind Goal 11 of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) which focussed on making the cities safe, with key focus on the need to provide access to safe, affordable, accessible and sustainable transportation system for all and the expansion of public transportation with special attention to the vulnerable- women, children and persons with disabilities.

    She, therefore, challenged LAMATA to champion the cause of a change in eco-mobility which would seek to increase accessibility to modes of transportation that promotes cleaner, safer and friendlier environment.

    Adegboye admitted that a lot would depend on how LAMATA applies itself to the challenges that make NMT a non issue in Lagos. Chief among these, the LAMATA chief said are; inconsistent and poor road design, lack of adequate and safe NMT infrastructure, scant consideration for vulnerable groups, such as children and the physically challenged, and lack of enforcement on existing infrastructure.

    Other limiting factors are the non recognition of walking and cycling as priority investment areas by government, competition of other road users who see cyclists and pedestrians as nuisance, and the safety risk of walking or cycling in Nigeria.

    These have resulted in inadequate policies regarding NMT, as well as poor implementation of NMT master plan because they are not considered as a way of dealing with increasing trend in motorised rates.

    Adegboye lamented the absence of political will to champion NMT’s cause through the legislation of relevant laws, and lack of enforcement on existing NMT facilities.

    All of these, he argued, had led to poor opinion of NMT as a modal choice by citizens and competition of other road users who see cyclists and pedestrians as a nuisance. He said to succeed; LAMATA must reduce the safety risk in walking and cycling.

    According to him, LAMATA has come up with short, medium and long-term strategies aimed at turning Lagos into a walking and cycling megacity. These include taking an NMT audit, planning, designing and construction of safe and accessible infrastructure, stronger management of pedestrian bridges and crossing that would lead to an attitudinal change among Lagosians.

     

    No NMT

     

    But for experts, this is another wrong-headed initiative that may not achieve desired results. A road safety expert, Adetokunbo Thomas, said though the NMT was a good idea, it cannot work in Lagos, because it does not fit into the state’s present transportation modes.

    He said: “Except you limit walking and cycling to intra community, there is no way it could serve the general interest of motorists.”

    According to him, “In copying things from the West, some things do not just make sense and one of them is NMT. In developed societies, they have developed multimodal systems and so they can introduce road tax which makes it a wise option for people to patronise public transportation, the reverse is the case here. Here, attention is concentrated so much on one mode of transportation and the infrastructure is too poor and inadequate to accommodate NMT.”

    Executive Director of Safety Without Borders Mr Patrick Adenusi said NMT may not work in this part because of our level of humidity.

    According to him, Lagos is sunny and a man cycling on a short distance would have perspired so much that he might need to have a shower when he gets to his destination.

    He said while it was true that the older generation used bicycles, “it must be pointed out that they never rode bicycles to social events. They only rode it to their farms.”

    Adenusi said the risk element of adopting an NMT in a city like Lagos is high. Walking or cycling on Lagos roads is extremely risky because “most motorists are not trained to drive”. He wondered how many business executives of political appointees the agency would convince to ride a bicycle to their offices.

    For Adenusi, most roads within the metropolis are no longer suitable for NMT because they have been demarcated for Bus Rapid Transit, adding that “if you have already dedicated a lane for BRT’s use, where will you give to the cyclists or pedestrians who you are encouraging to walk? Going ahead without dedicating an bicycle area would only breed confusion and make transportation more strenous”.

    He said countries that has introduced NMT not only have suitable weather and not as humid as ours, they have also developed a seamless intermodal system of transportation that promotes trekking or cycling as the last mile transportation option.

    He said: “NMT is a fantastic idea, but it is not what we need now. It can no longer work in our environment. The infrastructural requirement to re-integrate it now would be too high and I see this as another opportunity by the west to sell their bicycles to us. If we are still mopping up motorcycles because they are not in our transportation plan, why open ourselves up again as a dumping ground for bicycles? Would these people establish their manufacturing plants here, or would they just be traders interested in repatriating fortunes to their home countries?”

    Adenusi said in assisting us tackle our crisis, UNEP should be fair to Africa by trying to study our challenges rather than pushing things down our throats.”

     

    More of trains

     

    Rather than promoting NMT which may seem right but non fitting into our environment, Adenusi canvassed stronger support for the development of a robust train infrastructure.

    “What Lagos and Nigeria needed now is to have a rail network that works. If this happens, there would be a major drop in traffic congestion because people would have better, faster and more affordable option but more fundamental is that people may decide to live in the interlands and work in the urban centres.

    “An improved train service would translate to a reduction in the number of vehicles on the road, whether passenger or cargo. Many would drop their vehicles and even move out of urban centres to the peripheries, yet retain their work.”

  • Classic buses for classic commuters

    Classic buses for classic commuters

    LAGOS State Government has taken a major step towards easing commuters’ pains. Last Thursday; it launched 434 air-conditioned buses and inaugurated the expanded Mile 12-Ikorodu Road.

    Governor Akinwumi Ambode of Lagos State, Governor of the State of Osun, Ogbeni Rauf Aregbesola and All Progressives Congress (APC) National Leader, Asiwaju Bola Ahmed Tinubu performed the ceremony.

    The buses, tagged BRT Classic or BRT Upgrade, according to the Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Dayo Mobereola, are not owned by the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), or the government, but provided by a private firm on a Public-Private Partnership (PPP). The government provided the infrastructure while the private operators brought in the vehicles to run according to LAMATA’s guidelines.

    This, he said, is the hallmark of the new thinking and commitment of the government to providing safe, reliable, comfortable and affordable motorised options for discerning Lagosians who love comfort.

    The option, according to him, became imperative due to the gridlock over the last decade. He said not only would the government improve its presence in the sector, it would also ensure the reduction of vehicles on the roads, which would in no small measure ensure cleaner air and environmental preservation, because of reduced emission of carbon-monoxide and other green house gasses into the atmosphere.

    Mobereola said the new path was conceptualised in 2008, when the government began the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) Scheme. He, however, admitted that “along the line we got derailed and lost that essential part of the scheme that would have attracted it to the business class and professional groups. While we concentrated attention on providing service to the masses, artisans and traders who had no opportunity and may not be able to get their own cars, we neglected to serve a critical segment who might have their cars, or have the means to buy, but may have decided against it if government had provided an alternative that is comfortable, reliable and efficient”.

    He said the result was the huge deluge of private vehicles, hundreds of which are added daily by those who have the capacity to acquire private vehicles. Mobereola said the government was determined to make motorised transportation the hub of mass transit in the state, while the waterways and the light rail would be introduced to add to public transportation alternatives for residents of the state.

    The BRT, which was introduced on March 17, 2008, on the Ikorodu-CMS route, Mobereola said, has to date carried no fewer than 350 million passengers, and these ones on the daily basis, will carry almost 450,000 passengers.

    According to the commissioner, the new thinking is that a city with 22 million people, 60 percent of who must move from one point to the other needs efficient, reliable, accessible and safe transportation system.

    Assuring Lagosians of government’s commitment, he said the Ambode administration will in the coming months flood the state with modern and comfortable BRTs adding: “this is just an example of what we planned for Lagos State”.

    Transportation experts agreed no less with Mobereola, they argued that if traffic gridlocks could be felt in developed economies of the world with advanced and fully integrated modes of transportation, Lagos with wholesale reliance on the oldest mode of transportation should be expected to worsen in the next decade if government refuses to deepen its involvement and provide leadership in the sector.

    Speaking on the road,the commissioner praised the people for their understanding and forbearance all through the planning and execution of the newly expanded road that now has the BRT road at the median, adding that 10 stakeholders’ fora in all were held, all to ensure the buys-in of residents.

    “Managing the people while construction was going on simultaneously was a great challenge. We learnt from the mistakes of the past – mostly operational.

    “We had 10 stakeholders’ fora, three before the construction work started and seven during the project. We were engaging the people at every stage and they were guiding us. It was close project that involved the community because we needed their buy-in for us to succeed.

    He said the project will improve the traffic situation along that corridor. As more people enter the BRT buses, the road will be freer; we are also doing the engineering on the road, especially at the junctions to increase the capacity of the road and make the way big enough to accommodate more traffic.

    He said the N30 billion project which was financed by the French Development Agency (AFD), the World Bank and the state government, would enhance the mobility of the people and reduce travel time between CMS and Ikorodu by 60 percent, reducing a journey which presently takes an average of two and half hours to 45 minutes. He said the BRT will give priority to public transport, which is a mass carrier for a lot of people.

    Majority Leader of the Lagos State House of Assembly representing Ikorodu Constituency 1, Hon. Sanai Agunbiade said the project will add value to the area.He, therefore, challenged the people to maintain the project to encourage the government.

    The Ayangburen of Ikorodu, Oba Kabir Sotobi, praised the government for the success of the project and called for the execution of the Ipakodo jetty, which  he said would further boost the transportation initiative of the government.

    Representative of Mr Yemi Adeola, the Managing Director of Sterling Bank Plc, (the financier of the buses), Mr Lanre Adesanya thanked the state government for giving the bank the opportunity to partner in making life better for the people of the state. He said the project would benefit no fewer than 4000 families directly and provide jobs for thousands more who would work as ticketers, vendors, mechanics, even as he said the bank has reduced the prevalence of cash in the system.

  • LAMATA’s meaningless colour lines

    LAMATA’s meaningless colour lines

    SIR:  I want to appeal to the authorities at the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) to shelf the idea of naming the Lagos Light Rail lines after every colour of the rainbow – red, blue, green, yellow, purple, brown and orange. It is a disservice to our culture and a slap on the face of indigenous Lagosians. Where do we protect and project our history, heritage and culture if the state will consider such bland and ordinary English words to name such an extraordinary project?

    When former Cross Rivers State Governor Donald Duke built the resort cum business park and named it Tinapa I was elated. Giving structures and place indigenous names add to their tourist value and experience. When a tourist visits Cross Rivers State and goes to Tinapa, he will request for the meaning, thereby enhancing his knowledge and experience. In South Africa, the game reserves have indigenous names.

    Even in the UK where English is spoken, London tube lines have colours but they are not named after their colours. Every line has a distinct name with history behind it – Bakerloo line – because it passes through Baker Street and Waterloo station; Jubilee line – to commemorate the Queens Jubilee; Piccadilly line – passes through Piccadilly Circus; Central line – runs centrally, west to east; Northern line – runs north to south, Victoria line – runs through Victoria station.

    The lack of or unwillingness to speak our language affects us, even economically as individuals. If in doubt, please hear Virgin Atlantic, when it recently laid off Nigerian cabin crew – “The additional complexity required to operate an international crew base where there are no foreign language requirement means it is no longer sustainable going forward” – Kudirat Scott-Igbene, Virgin Atlantic spokeswoman (Thisday, November 8). In simple language, since all Nigerian passengers speak English (some even relish the accent), why carry sand to the desert – why employ Nigerian crew speaking English learnt in local schools when there are thousands of jobless natural English speakers in the UK?

    On the other hand, because of the large Yoruba speaking population in London, the Metropolitan Police has recruited some Yoruba speaking Britons!

    My appeal to LAMATA: Use your colours but please promote the heritage of Lagos and name the lines accordingly. What is wrong with EKO AKETE Line, MAGBADO Line (Marina-Agbado), MUSHIN Line (Mushin will witness urban renewal someday!), AWORI Line, OLOFIN Line, IKORODU OGA Line and so on?

     

    • Hon. Lanre Laoshe

    Ikeja, Lagos.

  • LAMATA unveils strategic transport masterplan

    LAMATA unveils strategic transport masterplan

    The Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) has said the state’s Strategic Transport Masterplan (STM) will address the “chaotic”traffic in the metropolis.

    The masterplan will identify traffic management measures, transport infrastructure and services required for meeting residents’ needs.

    LAMATA’s Managing Director Dr. Dayo Mobereola gave an insight into the masterplan during the presentation of LAMATA’s photo compendium- “A decade of Transforming Transport (2003-2013)” to Governor Babatunde Fashola last Thursday.

    The STM, he said, envisions implementation of structural reforms and provision of infrastructure and services required to deliver integrated multimodal public transport system for the state.

    Part of the public transport infrastructure identified in the STM is the urban rail network. Mobereola said: “To demonstrate its commitment to transport infrastructure regeneration, the government began the construction of the first out of the six rail lines and two monorails identified under the rail network plan. The Blue Line Rail Project, as it is fondly referred to, which is 27-km is supervised by LAMATA. The Line will run from Marina in Central Lagos to Okokomaiko. Construction works on the first phase of the project, which covers a distance of 12km from Marina to Mile 2 commenced in July 2010 and is progressing.”

    To integrate the different modes, LAMATA he said, is implementing a pilot electronic ticketing (e-ticketing) scheme designed for uniformity of fare and ticketing. The e-ticketing scheme, he said, covers the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) and Bus Franchise Scheme (BFS), adding that LAMATA plans to implement other Intelligent Transport System (ITS) initiatives, which are designed to improve safety, efficiency and effectiveness of transport and traffic conditions.

    Mobereola described the compendium as an account of its stewardship to create an enabling environment for standardisation and effectiveness of public transportation.

    In the past 10 years, LAMATA, he said, introduced key policy and institutional reforms under the Lagos Urban Transport Project 1 (LUTP 1), aimed at strengthening the transport sector’s capacity for effective coordination, management and financing of the public transport system.

    He said the 2002 LAMATA Law was strengthened in 2007, with planning and regulatory functions across the various modes of transport, including BRT along prioritised corridors.

    “A total of 632km road network identified as main bus public transport routes was upgraded and rehabilitated. Interventions were completed on 45km of roads under periodic maintenance and 51.5km of road rehabilitation maintenance during the course of LUTP 1 implementation.

    “Interventions were also completed on 57 gridlocked road junctions, while users generally enjoyed reduced vehicle operating costs, improved travel time and road safety. An appropriate regulatory framework and enabling environment were provided by LAMATA for the organised private sector’s participation in the provision of improved bus services,” the LAMATA boss said.

    Mobereola said LAMATA began the implementation of the second phase of public transport sector policy and strategy (LUTP 2), on May 16, 2011, to demonstrate the commitment of key stakeholders to ensuring the continuity and sustainability of transport sector reforms implemented under LUTP 1.

    Fashola said successive administrations before year 2000 struggled with the problems of increasing road congestion, environmental deterioration and decline in public transport service delivery.

    He said government decided to redefine the transport sector policy in 2000. Improve the provision of transport services, particularly for low income public transport users and develope a strategy which revolve around developing appropriate institutional mechanisms for managing public transport sector.

    LAMATA, Fashola said, has developed into a strong, renowned and internationally acclaimed transport institution with an awesome record of successes achieved which has among others, prepare a strategic long term plan for the transport sector.

    He said the urbanisation challenges of a population growing at six per cent yearly against the national average of 3.5 per cent has heightened the need for efficient and affordable public transportation in the state.

    Fashola said: “I have always believed that transportation is at the heart of our civilisation and it will largely define the quality of our lives.”

    He said he is committed to ensuring a functional public transportation system, which is not only safe, but affordable and convenient.

    Government he said is committed to reducing poverty by  achieving the delivery of a multi-modal transport infrastructure and services for the people.

  • Govt deploy 400 buses on Mile 12-Ikorodu route

    Govt deploy 400 buses on Mile 12-Ikorodu route

    No fewer than 400 wide bodied mass transit buses may be deployed on the Mile 12 – Ikorodu route to move about 300,000 passengers, the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) Managing Director Dr. Dayo Mobereola has said.

    This is the projected number of passengers to use the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) daily when the road extension is completed.

    Speaking after a tour of the project, Mobereola said the road extension would boost transportation in Ikorodu and adjoining communities.

    He appealed for patience, understanding and cooperation of motorists and residents living along the road as the contractor intensifies effort to complete the project.

    Noting that it is 90 percent completed, he said the project was unique because it compares with other rapid transit systems in Africa and Asia, which are also based on median operation.

    He said: “The Ikorodu project is a 13.5 kilometre long corridor with 15 bus shelters and a modern bus depot garage built on five hectares of land.

    “Besides, there are three terminals at Mile 12, Agric and Ikorodu, six pedestrian bridges; at Owode, Irawo, Awori, Majidun-Ogolonto, Agric and Haruna, 12 u-turning points (six on each side), provision of street lightings and signalised junctions at Ikorodu, Agric and Ogolonto.”

    The BRT median operation Mobereola said, has a lot of advantages over its present system because it is faster, safer and efficient.

    To ensure the participation of women in the operation, he said the modality for the employment and training of women as drivers, bus assistants and mechanics should be worked out.

    “There should be a reasonable number of women in this operation. They could be drivers, bus assistants and even mechanics. Women pay more attention to details. I believe that if the working condition is right, they would like to be part of the bus operation. So I would want the team to come up with modality for achieving the employment of women,” Dr. Mobereola said. He attributed the project’s delay to weather challenges, adding that the project would be completed before the end of the first quarter of 2015.

    When completed, he said travel time along the corridor would be drastically reduced from one hour 30 minutes to 30 minutes, while carbon emission would be cut down by 15 per cent and congestion significantly reduced.

    Also, over 1, 500 employments would be generated while accessibility to the Lagos Central Business District would improve.

  • Fund, others stall Lagos light rail

    Fund, others stall Lagos light rail

    The delay in the completion of the light rail project has been attributed to dearth of funds, complications in the concessionaire’s terms of agreement and issues relating to the right of way of the project.

    A source in the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), who does not want his name mentioned,  told The Nation that though its speed might be slow, the project is still performing well in relation to the fund available.

    He said there is no truth in the rumours making the rounds that the project is being funded by the World Bank, adding that the light rail project is wholly funded by the state’s internally generated revenue.

    The light rail project, as part of the integrated public transportation system being managed by LAMATA, is envisioned to consist of seven lines. However even the initial construction of the first planned two lines have suffered delays.

    Governor Babatunde Fashola who inspected the project last Wednesday, lamented the project’s progress.

    He was, however, optimistic of its completion and expressed satisfaction on its progress. The governor ,who identified funding as part of the challenges of the project, said the project would have been completed in another 12 months. He, however, failed to give a new timeline for its completion.

    The source said though the large spectrum of the project is still ongoing, government could go ahead and commission the National Theatre to Mile 2 route as that is substantially ready. “Getting it (the project) ready up to Marina is where we still face some hitches,” the source said.

    He said the pace of work would have been much faster, if the Federal Government had supported the state in financing the project as part of its holistic national blueprint on public sector transportation.

    The light rail project has been a tortuous journey for the state’s transportation sector. First conceived in 1981, by the Second Republic Governor, Alhaji Lateef Jakande, the project was scrapped in 1985 by the Military headed by Muhammadu Buhari at a loss of over $78 million to the Lagos tax payers.

    The idea was revived by former Governor Bola Tinubu in 2000, with a formal announcement of its construction in December 2003. The initial $135 million proposal was part of the greater Lagos Urban Transportation Project to be implemented by then newly formed Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA). LAMATA initially concentrated on developing a Bus Rapid Transit system (BRT) before embarking on the rail project, which it supposed to flag-off with the blue line and the red line.

    The blue line, being built by China Civil Engineering Construction Company, will run 27.5 km, with 13 stations, and journey time of approximately 35 minutes. It is being built as a high capacity, electrically powered rail mass transit system. Most of the route will be on the surface, but a part of the line will run on elevated structure.

    The entire Blue Line will operate over a secure and exclusive right-of-way, with no level crossings and no uncontrolled access by pedestrians or vehicles.

    Lagos State is financing construction of the Blue Line from its own resources. A concession contract is being awarded to finance, supply and operate the railway equipment, including electric power, signaling, trains, and fare collection. The Red Line will share the existing 30-metre wide Nigerian Railway Corporation (NRC) right-of-way, according to the planning.

  • Work begins November on cable car

    Work begins November on cable car

    WoRK on the first phase of the $500 million (N80.7 billion) Lagos cable car system will begin in November, according to sources.

    The project is being managed by a firm, Ropeways Transport Limited, which signed an agreement with the state government and the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA), in 2012.

    A source said the clearing of the sites and the construction of the towers and laying of the cables for the cars would begin in November.

    Work is expected to begin with the Apapa -Adeniji Adele route, where the firm is expected to open commercial operation next year.

    The 30-year long public-private partnership (PPP) initiative will be funded with a loan from the African Development Bank (AfDB).

    The deal, which is public-private sector driven, will last 30 years.

    Lagos is the first city-state in Nigeria to adopt the cable car for commercial purpose as some states have adopted its use to drive tourism.

    The project is part of the reforms meant to reposition public sector transportation in the state.

    Under the agreement, LAMATA approved the Apapa -Oluwole-Adeniji Adele; Ijora/7up-Iddo-Adeniji Adele and Victoria Island-Falomo-Obalende-Adeniji Adele routes proposed by Ropeways.

    Ropeways  Chief Executive Officer  Captain Dapo Olumide said the cable car network would help to solve transport challenges in Lagos.

    He said: “By complementing existing transport modes, the Lagos cable car transit system will play its part in reducing the traffic congestion in the city.”

    Lagos is expected to have 25 million inhabitants by 2015, meaning that the current 12 million daily passenger movement is projected to increase by six per cent each year, a situation he said, would put pressure on the existing infrastructure.

    Those driving to work could take three hours to complete the journey, Olumide said, adding  that 200,000 new vehicles are registered in the state yearly said.

    “Our proposal to work on the three routes is aimed at ameliorating the existing congestion on the three bridges connecting Lagos Mainland to the Island and to provide a link between Apapa and the Central Business District on Lagos Island, and also to link Victoria Island with the Central Business District of Lagos Island. These are what we hope to achieve with the cable transit system,” Olumide added.

    Cable cars are being used for transport worldwide  because they are green (uses no fuel) and efficient.

    The Lagos Cable Car Transit system will be 12km long, with a journey from Apapa to Adeniji  taking roughly four minutes.

    The fare is expected to be around N100 – N300.

    The project will have five sources of power; the Independent Power Project (IPP), on Lagos Island, gas,  diesel, turbines and inverters.

  • Expert canvasses use of electricity in transportation

    Expert canvasses use of electricity in transportation

    CAN electricity be used to boost transportation? Yes, says Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) Managing Director Dr. Dayo Mobereola who is canvassing its use in urban centres and mega cities like Lagos.

    Mobereola made the suggestion in a paper titled: “Harnessing electricity to grow the transportation sector,” delivered at Ehingbeti 2014, an investment and economic talk shop organised by the Lagos State Government.

    He said the deployment of electricity would reduce the dependence on petroleum products, cut down substantially on vehicular carbon dioxide CO2 emissions and promote smarter transportation initiatives using Intelligent Transport System (ITS) powered by electricity.

    He said: “In Nigeria, Lagos consumes the highest amount of petroleum products at a total of 547million litres in 2010. Out of this, Premium Motor Spirit (Petrol) had a 58 per cent share of consumed products, while diesel-the most efficient fuel-only accounts for only 18 per cent.”

    Mobereola observed that this distribution has led to inordinately high CO2 emissions, expensive operation of the public transportation network, and unsustainable public transport system.

    Mobereola listed the advantages inherent in the use of electricity in the transportation system to include energy security, fuel economy, infrastructure availability, cheap operating cost in the long run and lower emissions of Green House Gases (GHG).

    He said the nation is richly blessed in conventional energy resources, which includes oil, natural gas, lignite and coal.

    “We are also well endowed with renewable energy sources such as wood, solar, hydropower, and wind, all of which can be converted for electricity generation,” he said.

    He said the electricity so generated would be used by hybrids vehicles which have engines and electric motors, where the engines only serve as electricity generators for its mobility.

    He, however, identified lack of political will, resistance to change, slow ramp up in the supply of electricity to meet demand, risk of investment in the sector and inadequate regulatory framework for power reform as major hindrances to the initiative.

    Mobereola, whose agency supervises the transportation policy for the state, said a fully integrated mass rapid transit system which includes; six rail lines; one mono rail line, 16 BRT routes, a cable car project and over 20 water routes would be more efficiently run through a stable supply of electricity.

    He added that the implementation of this initiative would lead to a better managed traffic, an efficient public transport which would aid transport integration.

  • LAMATA goes for concrete roads to save BRT

    LAMATA goes for concrete roads to save BRT

    To protect Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) routes, the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) is replacing the asphalt dedicated lanes with concrete from Mile 12 to Anthony. ADEYINKA ADERIBIGBE reports.

     

    When the Lagos State Government introduced the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) eight years ago, it never knew that the asphalt roads’ lifespan would impede its efficiency.

    For reasons ranging from soil nature, rising water level and erosion, among others, most of the dedicated lanes have been washed away, leaving the Lagos Metropolitan Area Transport Authority (LAMATA) to fix them at colossal costs yearly.

    But a breakthrough came last week, as the agency unfolded plans of replacing all asphalt BRT lanes with concrete, beginning with both carriages of Mile 12 to Anthony Village.

    Though the project has taken off, the contractor, CGC Limited, has not moved to site, due to what a LAMATA source called “technical hitches”.

    LAMATA’s Managing Director Dr. Dayo Mobereola said the government opted for concrete because it is cheaper to maintain.

    He said: “The Bus Rapid Transit lanes are being converted from asphalt to concrete pavement in a bid to reduce the lanes’ maintenance cost, guarantee the longevity of the buses and reduce their downtime.”

    Where it is used in other parts of the world, concrete pavement, Mobereola said, reduces vehicles’ maintenance cost and preserves the road.

    Briefing stakeholders, among them, the National Union of Road Transport Workers, cement manufacturers, community leaders and lawmakers, Mobereola said: “Concrete pavements are maintenance free and could last more than 30 years before requiring maintenance.”

    When completed, he added, commuters would experience improved waiting and journey times between Mile 12 and CMS.

    LAMATA’s Director of Roads and Traffic Maintenance Mr. Olufunsho Elulade, said the asphalt surface would be removed and replaced with concrete, adding that it would last for over 30 years.

    To minimise the impact of the construction on traffic, Elulade said the contractor is being encouraged to work at night.

    Chairman, House Committee on Commerce, Industry and Transportation Hon. Bisi Yusuf, who was at the forum, urged stakeholders, particularly transport unions, to cooperate with LAMATA to ensure the timely completion of the project, adding that delay may cost the government more.

    LAMATA’s step has further consolidated experts’ push for the adoption of concrete roads against asphalt surfacing or other materials.

    Construction experts and cement manufacturers at a conference, a year ago, canvassed the adoption of concrete roads in line with their universal acceptance as the best.

    Statistics show that 40 per cent of roads in the United States and Germany are concrete; two per cent of roads in emerging economies, such as India and less than 0.1 per cent in Nigeria are constructed with concrete.

    Experts said the relatively scarce and expensive nature of cement on one part and the hitherto low local production capacity, put at less than 2,000 metric tonnes per year, made asphalt or plain laterite road construction the nation’s only choice.

    However, the total installed capacity of all local cement manufacturers has increased over the years from 2,000 metric tonnes per year in 2003, to 28,000 metric tonnes per year.

    With the nation moving away from being the world’s leading importer of the product in 2006, to self-sufficiency, cement producers said they are better positioned to meet its domestic needs.

    Chairman, Cement Manufacturers’ Association of Nigeria (CMAN), Mr Joseph Makoju, said: “Benchmarking against international practice, about 40 per cent of the roads in the developed countries such as USA and Germany are made of cement concrete, whereas it is only about two per cent in emerging economies countries such as India and less than 0.1 per cent in Nigeria.”

    Makoju said due to its durability and cost effectiveness, cement concrete would be the best answer to the poor state of the nation’s 195,400 kilometres of roads.

    The Federal Government has promised to collaborate with the association to test run the use of cement in road pavements.

    The Minister for Works, Mr. Mike Onolememen, said the government would be collaborating with Dangote Cement Plc, Lafarge WAPCO Nigeria Plc, Cement Company of Northern Nigeria, Ashaka Cement and United Cement Company, UniCem, Calabar on the new project.

    He said an experimentation on rigid pavements (which is another name for cement concrete surfacing), would start with the Kachie-Ajie road, which links the Federal Capital Territory to Baro Port in Niger State, and the Ikorodu-Shagamu road.

    “We want to know what the manufacturers are willing to do to make the project realistic. We would carry out laboratory test on the products to ensure that they are good as we prepare to begin the construction of rigid pavement carriageway in Nigeria.

    “We have identified major road works where we want to experiment rigid pavement design. Consultants were commissioned and they told me that one of those roads is the Kachie-Ajie road to connect the Federal Capital Territory to Baro Port in Niger State.”

    “The second one is the Ikorodu-Shagamu road. We have completed the design of the rigid pavement and commenced procurement for the two roads. Once the 2014 budget is approved, the projects will come on stream,” Onolememen said.

    He said the government is looking forward to collaborating with cement manufacturers in ensuring the success of the experiment.

    Lafarge WAPCO’s Managing Director Mr Guillaume Roux admits the industry produces far more than the country consumes.

    Roux, who said his company has nine plants and intends to increase it to 17 at the end of the year, agreed that rigid pavements would make roads last longer.

    While concrete and cement had a very long history of being used in the construction of buildings, it was not until 1891 that it was used to build a road.

    The first of such was the Court Street in Bellefontaine, Ohio, US, where George Bartholomew experimented with concrete. The quality of the material used on the road was over 8,000 pounds per square inch.

    This is twice the strength of today’s mixes. It may also be why the road is still in place and being used without having undergone any major repairs or improvements.

    In 1913, the first section of highway in the United States was poured using concrete cement to make the pavement. It covered 24 miles and was five inches thick, spanning a width of nine feet. The highway was just outside of Pine Bluff in Arkansas. One year later, there were over 2,300 miles of highway made from this material. By 1919, Oregon had become the first state to charge a tax on fuels to help fund the cost of installing new highways.

    In 1930, Pennsylvania began construction of the Pennsylvania Turnpike. This was the first intercity toll road in the country and was made entirely of concrete.

    The history of concrete and cement goes back many centuries to ancient Egypt and China. In ancient Rome, builders first began to construct roads and bridges using concrete.

    While the 1960s and 1970s are considered to be the peak years for the use of concrete in road construction, it is still used in road construction around the world today.

    A cement manufacturer Carib Cement said the benefits of concrete roadways include resistance to erosion from torrential rains and a longer pavement life, “more than three times that of an asphalt roadway.

    “Concrete roads are also more environmental friendly. Whereas asphalt roads produce more heat and harmful greenhouse gases, and tend to leach into limestone, cement-based roadways do not. Also, at the end of the concrete road’s life cycle, its components can be recycled and converted into aggregates. Concrete roads have a reduced urban heat effect.”