X-raying junction expansion in Lagos

Many motorists especially those around Allen Avenue, Ikotun, Maryland and Lekki, have been witnessing remarkable improvement in movements with the replacement of the traditional roundabouts.

When it identified junction expansion and traffic signalisation as replacement of the old and over-burdened roundabouts in many of its urban centres, not a few thought the government must be making light of motorists’ traffic nightmare.

But to demonstrate its readiness to tackle traffic congestion and gridlock headlong, the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration, within the first month on the saddle, identified over 60 locations, out of which four, with huge vehicle-count was identified for immediate remediation.

The result on all the four junctions, which were delivered in March, had been instantly impactful across Allen Avenue, Ikotun, Maryland and Lekki, where traffic flow had become almost flawless.

Take Allen Avenue for instance. Traffic around this roundabout, which is but a shouting distance to the seat of government, could clamp down for between one and two hours. With the replacement with signalization of four confluence access roads, traffic around the axis has been reduced to between 10 to 20 minutes.

Olajide Adeyemo is one resident who has been operating around Allen Avenue for over 30 years. He, like other users, had surrendered to the intractable traffic and had poked at the government’s latest effort. But he was quick to admit that the government’s latest action might just have been the masterstroke. Driving to work and back for him has almost become leisure.

“Allen Avenue that is almost permanently locked down has suddenly become very free. You hardly spend up to 10 minutes on the traffic lights and this has improved traffic in and around Ikeja, Ojota, Ogba and Ojodu tremendously,” Adeyemo said.

Thomas Uwemdimonor, a minibus operator said he has been experiencing similar relief at Ikotun. Thomas who shuttles Ikeja to Ikotun says with the removal of the roundabout at Ikotun, accessing that area of the city has been a huge relief.

With a population hitting 26 million (Lagos State Bureau of Statistics), and about 4.5 million vehicle count (made up of an estimated three million commercial buses and one and half million private vehicles), and another million two and three-wheeler vehicles (motorcycles, and tricycles), moving about in Lagos, must undoubtedly be one of the most daunting tasks.

This is largely because the population has continued to surge, becoming in the last 20 years; Africa and black man’s megacity with 70 per cent of the roads narrow and barely incapable of carrying the volume of traffic that moves within the city-state every day.

Road movement has become more challenging and almost intractable despite being in the front burner as the government pushed Traffic management and Transportation as one of its primal agenda.

Despite its 4000kms of waterways, the Lagos State Ferry Service targeted 480,000 daily, Lagos accounts for 50 per cent of the total national average. The result is that chaotic traffic congestion remains a permanent face of Lagos.

Lagos vehicular traffic congestion knows no time and has no regard for anybody. As a leveller, both the rich and the poor, meet and melt on the road.

From Mile 2 to Iyana-Iba; Oshodi to Iyana-Ipaja and Agege, from Ketu to Ikorodu, Epe to the Lekki fringes, commuters and motorists like the ram, to the slaughter slab, sweat it out on the ‘Hold-up’ or ‘Go-slow’.

So prevalent is the traffic congestion that motorists have become almost besotted to the Traffic Radio, for travel advisory on the state of the roads before heading out, irrespective of whether it is peak or off-peak times.

In the main, the bad state of roads accounted for about 50 to 70 per cent cause of the nightmare, with undisciplined operators hitting the opposite direction in what locals referred to in Lagos as the one-way driving, for which the state’s command of the Nigeria Police had set up a special unit to flush out.

On the other hand, vehicular congestion on Ikoyi-Lekki and Ajah axis are blamed on the tolling system on the corridor, some on the poorly planned infrastructure which the growing population has rendered ineffective or cause of the major gridlock. For instance, some roundabouts have overstayed their usefulness and no longer have the capacity to accommodate the high vehicular movements.

Realising that traffic management could pose a serious challenge to governance in the state as it was for his predecessors, Governor Babjide Sanwo –Olu signed Executive Order to address the issue of traffic control and management, fixing of potholes on the roads, sanitation as well as cleaning of drainages in the State. While signing the Order, the Governor declared: “I think we have to make some points about issues that happen around transportation, potholes on our roads, blockages and rest of it, I think it is something we need to tackle immediately”.

The governor didn’t stop at that, he directed the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) to operate two shifts by managing traffic until 11:00 pm daily, saying “We want to ensure that we control traffic until everybody gets home safely. LASTMA should, therefore, extend its working hours and ensure traffic control till 11 p.m,” the governor had directed.

To put a lasting solution to some of the gridlock areas, the governor initiated the junction improvements projects at some traffic prone areas of the state through the state Ministry of Transportation.

The idea behind the project was to completely remove the roundabouts which occupied the 90 per cent of the road and to expand the road to accommodate more vehicles at a time thereby enhancing free traffic flow.

The projects, which include proper lane-marking, installation of traffic signal light and other facilities that will enhance free vehicular movement on the road.

The projects were parts of the administration’s huge investment in the transport sector, stating that efficient traffic management and transportation is crucial to achieving the 21st-century economy needed in an emerging smart city like Lagos.

Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde said as the increase in the influx of vehicles that ply Lagos roads on a daily basis have outgrown the capacity of the junctions, adding that there is an urgent need to reconfigure them to increase the junction capacity by signalizing them thereby easing congestion.

He said: “All these junctions and roundabouts have overstayed their usefulness as they no longer have the capacity to accommodate the high vehicular movements, this has contributed to traffic congestions especially during peak hours, so the junctions were reconfigured to increase their capacities.”

The commissioner, who expressed satisfaction with the level of works done at the Allen Junction Improvement Project, commended Lagosians for enduring the pain of traffic bottleneck experienced before and during the construction expressing satisfaction that the traffic situation is now improved.

Harping on the Lekki projects, the commissioner added the projects have added aesthetics to the Lekki corridor, aside from bringing improvement to traffic gridlocks often experienced in the area.

The General Manager, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Engr. Olajide Oduyoye said in addition to the junction improvement project, his men will be fully on ground to direct traffic to ensure free vehicular movement at all times and unlock traffic gridlocks where necessary.

Oduyoye urged the residents to continue to support the government in the enforcement of the State Traffic Laws, adding that the ban on Okada/Keke (motorcycle/tricycle) operations is for the safety of lives and properties of the residents.

In line with Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s T.H.E.M.E.S agenda, the state Ministry of Transportation also embarked on road signages, lane marking and painting of kerbs across the state.

The road marking and Kerbs painting project took place in areas such as Obafemi Awolowo Way, Ikeja and Allen/ Opebi road with the use of retro-reflective paints. Other areas currently being covered according to him include; Ahmadu Bello Way, Ozumba Mbadiwe, Adeola Odeku in Victoria Island. Alhaji Masha Street, Eric Moore in Surulere, Yaba, Ilupeju, LASU-Iba road, Ojo Local Government area.

Others are Ekoro Ajasa Command Road, Ibeshe Road, Broad Street, Marina, Admiralty road, Igbo -Elerin road, Wempco Road.

According to Oladeinde, the road marking and kerbs painting project help to reduce road accidents, adding that the marks will clearly indicate the number of lanes provided on each road, highlight turning points, edge lines, crosswalk, kerbs and pavements.