LASTMA CRACKDOWN ON ONE-WAY DRIVING, ILLEGAL GARAGES
… Impounds 84 Vehicles At Idumota, Iddo, Others
… Officers Attacked, Injured As Miscreants, Hoodlums Resist Enforcement
The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has intensified its enforcement operations across identified traffic flashpoints in the State, impounding 84 commercial and private vehicles for various traffic infractions during a comprehensive weekend crackdown at Idumota, Iddo, Ijora-Olopa, Costain and Onipanu.
The enforcement exercise was principally aimed at restoring sanity, orderliness and strict compliance with extant traffic regulations, particularly along corridors where persistent violations by recalcitrant motorists and commercial bus operators have continued to pose a formidable threat to road safety and the unhindered movement of traffic.
Of grave concern to the Agency was the increasingly perilous practice of commercial buses reversing against traffic along the one-way stretch from Iddo back to Idumota through Carter Bridge, an irresponsible manoeuvre capable of catching unsuspecting motorists, commuters and pedestrians completely unawares.
The enforcement operation, however, encountered resistance from some recalcitrant individuals, during which LASTMA personnel were physically assaulted and injured while carrying out their statutory responsibilities. Some notorious miscreants and hoodlums who attacked and damaged the Agency's operational vehicles during the enforcement exercise were apprehended.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, confirmed the enforcement as a necessary and long-overdue intervention designed to curb the growing culture of impunity among certain road users and restore discipline along critical traffic corridors.
Bakare-Oki reiterated that the Agency had repeatedly cautioned transport operators, commercial bus drivers and other road users against occupying under-bridge spaces, road setbacks and unauthorised locations as illegal garages, stressing that such practices constitute serious impediments to effective traffic management and pose considerable risks to public safety.
The General Manager emphasised that the sustained enforcement campaign is aimed at securing compliance with extant traffic regulations, deterring hazardous driving practices and safeguarding the lives and property of motorists, commuters, pedestrians and other road users, adding that no individual or group would be permitted to appropriate public roads, bridges or under-bridge spaces for illegal loading, parking, repairs or garage operations.
LASTMA consequently admonished commercial bus operators, motorists, transport unions and other stakeholders to immediately desist from one-way driving, dangerous reversing, illegal parking, indiscriminate loading and the occupation of unauthorised garages or under-bridge locations, warning that further infractions would attract appropriate enforcement measures in accordance with extant Lagos State traffic laws.
Members of the public were equally urged to remain vigilant and promptly report dangerous driving, traffic obstructions, reckless motorists and other traffic-related infractions through the LASTMA Toll-Free Short-Code 3367, thereby enabling the Agency to respond expeditiously and prevent avoidable incidents on the State's road network.
Comments
Post a Comment