Fashola Vows To Enforce Traffic Law

Governor Babatunde Fashola has vowed to enforce the new road traffic law, saying that he wants to sanitise the transportation sector in the state.

This is coming as he launched 15,000 new road signs in preparation for the enforcement of the new law in Lagos State, Southwest Nigeria.

The governor, who spoke when he received the Governing Council of the Institute of Directors in his office, said he was more determined now to enforce the new traffic law and asked all to voluntarily comply.

Fashola advised Lagosians to banish the notion that any time any civilian government enforced laws, it would not be effective, saying that officials of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA were better prepared to enforce the new law.

He said in the enforcement of the state traffic law, government was more interested in free flow of traffic and movement of people than contravening offenders.

Fashola sought the support and partnership of professional bodies and corporate organisations in the quest to achieve voluntary compliance with the new law, saying that government would be better off when there is voluntary compliance as the cost of enforcement of the law is always higher.

He enjoined the organisations to work with the Nigerian Ports Authority and tank farm owners to ensure that before any tanker loads crude oil, it must have met some basic minimum standards of safety.

“If you operate trailers and tankers and your tankers fall down and kill people, the question is, have you really done good business or acted with the best corporate governance goals as an organisation?

“Or, if you operate containers without proper safety measures and kill some innocent people today, it could possibly be you tomorrow. If tankers explode and burn 20 cars, it only means somebody somewhere is using substandard trucks and I think we can work together to make changes,” he said.

Meanwhile, in its determination to ensure the successful implementation of the Road Traffic Law and voluntary compliance by road users, the state government has begun the installation of 15,000 road signs.

Commissioner for Transportation, Comrade Kayode Opeifa, said that the 15,000 road signs were in addition to the existing 10,000 traffic signs currently installed on major roads and highways in the state.

Opeifa said that the massive installation of these signs would enable road users to be more conversant with the signs and their significance, adding that the signs would also assist road users to know the various restricted routes for motorcycles and tricycles, designated bus stops, no parking, no trading, no waiting, no u-turn and no entry zones, to mention just a few.

He urged Lagosians and visitors in the state to be conscious of traffic signs whenever they drive as these would further guide them on how to drive safely and make proper use of the roads.

Opeifa appealed to all and sundry to obey the road signs and ensure strict compliance with the road traffic law as the law was made to ensure sanity on the roads and safety of lives and property of Lagosians.

The commissioner urged recalcitrant operators of okada and tricycles, in their own interest, to desist from plying the restricted 475 routes as anyone found violating the law would be appropriately sanctioned.

—Kazeem Ugbodaga