VIOs permanently ban from Lagos roads

The Lagos State Governor, Akinwunmi Ambode, on Tuesday said Vehicles Inspection Officers had been permanently banned from all Lagos roads.

The governor also asked the Federal Road Safety Corps to restrict the operations of its men to highways and stay off state roads.

Ambode spoke while inaugurating pedestrian bridges, a lay-by and a slip road at Berger bus stop.

The governor said the VIOs and the FRSC contributed significantly to gridlock in the state, adding that his government would employ technology to track and monitor vehicle registration and certification.

“The Vehicle Inspection Officers have been asked to stay off our roads permanently. The Federal Road Safety Corps is also advised to stay on the fringes and highways; and not on the main streets of Lagos.

“It has become evident that these agencies contribute to the traffic challenges on our roads. We will employ technology to track and monitor vehicle registration and MOT certifications,” Ambode said.

Ambode said his administration identified the Ojodu Berger area as one of the major traffic flashpoints that required urgent attention.

“What we set out to achieve with this project is to ensure a smooth flow of traffic along the expressway, safeguard the lives of our people, who have to run across the expressway, and project the image of a truly global city to our visitors.

Ambode said a food court would be built where people could relax before climbing the pedestrian bridges as well as an interstate bus terminal within the Ojodu Berger area for buses coming from outside Lagos to drop and pick passengers, while intercity transportation system would move commuters within the city.

Earlier, in his opening remarks, the Commissioner for Waterfront Infrastructure Development, who also oversees the Ministry of work, Adebowale Akinsanya, said the project was a response to the yearnings of the people of Ojodu Berger for an efficient and gridlock-free road network.

When contacted, the Head of Media Relations, Federal Road Safety Corps, Mr. Bisi Kazeem, said the corps had already asked its officers to concentrate their efforts mainly on the highways.

He said, “The FRSC has already, as a matter of policy, asked its officers to concentrate their efforts mainly on highways, especially in all the states that have traffic management outfits such as LASTMA. Our number three strategic goal for 2017 has to do with this.

“We encourage states to have their traffic management outfits to combat the menace of traffic congestion in the metropolises, while we double our efforts in ridding the highways of traffic crashes. The governor is corroborating our policy stance.”