Lagos State government has been battling with unruly motorists who do not obey traffic rules. Aside from the state government, there are also Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) officers with mobile camera scattered across the nooks and crannies of the state to enforce compliance, as well as stationary cameras in different locations, which are part of the measures to enforce compliance.
Already, they have been mounted around Mobolaji Bank-Anthony Way, Alapere and Allen Roundabout, to mention a few.
With these measures, traffic authorities have reported over 30 per cent reduction in incidents of vehicles driving against traffic during peak hours, easing congestion and enhancing safety for commuters. The real-time enforcement enabled by camera captures has also been crucial in holding motorists accountable and reducing traffic violations.
Similarly, reports indicate that the percentage of commercial buses violating one-way traffic rules has dropped by approximately 25 per cent after camera enforcement measures were intensified.
However, there is a long way to go, as some stakeholders argued.
They said the state government should emulate Oyo State in installing one-way spikes. The government of that recently mounted one-way tyre spikes on its roads as part of efforts to deter motorists from driving against traffic, reinforcing its commitment to road safety and effective traffic management.
One of the spike barriers was installed at Idi-Ape, Ibadan North East Local Council.
A viral video showed the operation of the spikes; how they puncture the tyres of vehicles attempting to drive in the wrong direction.
Considering that many Lagos commercial buses, especially the yellow buses do not renew their papers, which makes it difficult to enforce compliance even when the camera captures the buses violating traffic rules, should Lagos State government not install one-spikes on may roads where driving against traffic is very common.
A resident, Adeola Oyetola, stated that the idea of installing one-way spikes is a good one by the Oyo State government, because it has helped to save lives especially on many roads as a lot of people have been sent to early grave owing to one way driving
She added that it would be good if Lagos State could toe that path by having one-way spikes on major routes where driving against traffic is prevalence.
“Many of the commercial bus drivers who are often recalcitrant and never ready to obey traffic rules will learn the hard way when their tyres get punctured. It is a natural way of paying fine for the traffic violation on the spot. This is because the driver would not only need to change the punctured tyre with its spare, which means he would waste time, he is also going to buy another space because the punctured tyre would have been damaged.”
Another resident, Tunde Balogun, stated that Oyo State government mounting road spikes is a welcome development.
He said for Lagos State government, given the staff strength of the law enforcement agent, which cannot be enough to provide adequate monitoring, apprehending offenders, real time, might be a huge task to enforce traffic rules especially one way driving.
Balogun, therefore, stated that installing the one-way spikes is an automatic way of discouraging driving against traffic without physical presence of traffic officers and minimal utilisation of manpower.
“It will also cut off corrupt tendencies of enforcement officers who may want to seize the opportunity to collect bribes from offenders.
“However, there is an economic cost to getting spikes mounted across the state as well as the safety of lives of motorist who might climb the spikes.
“We should bear in mind that one-way driving in major cities in the country, usually serves as emergency movement channels or routes for medical and security or any form of emergencies too. If this is considered in the perspective of Lagos roads that demand driving against traffic by ambulances and emergency vehicles to beat long and chaotic traffic that has become synonymous to Lagos, the installing spikes are actually not the best for Lagos State.
“We are likely to have more emergencies owing to occasional fall of heavy duty containers, combustion on petroleum tankers due to high level of economic activities, and our emergency response is not yet sophisticated that quickly resolves emergencies, which might necessitate driving against traffic sometimes.
“In cases of decongestion of traffic, time and again we have seen road safety and LASTMA deploying one-way drive as emergency solution
“In the case of Lagos, there are more competent traffic officers and law enforcement agents on the roads that other states in Nigeria do not enjoy.”
Rather than mounting the spikes, Balogun suggested that the state government should sensitise the citizens and motorists on the dangers of driving against traffic and enforce its sanctions.
He, nonetheless, added that top government officials including military and paramilitary officers should desist from one-way drive if there is not a dire need to do so.
