The Ogun State Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) has warned articulated vehicle drivers to desist from parking their trucks along roadsides, particularly around the Ogere axis of the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
The Acting Corps Commander of TRACE, Elias Omonayajo, issued the warning during an interactive session with stakeholders at the Ogere TRACE Divisional Command.
Omonayajo expressed concern over the way some articulated vehicle drivers obstruct major highways in the state by parking on the roadside, noting that such acts have contributed to road accidents.
He cautioned the drivers, saying, “Do not pose accident risk to other road users due to illegal parking because of its effects on free flow of traffic. The safety of people’s lives and properties should be paramount to you.”
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Security Matters, AIG Shola Subair (retd), and the Consultant to the Governor on Security, CP Edward Ajogun (retd), stated that the state government is unhappy with indiscriminate parking and blockage of highways.
They called for the establishment of a taskforce to enforce regulations and apprehend defaulters, urging drivers to support TRACE in maintaining seamless traffic flow and preventing crashes on the roads.
Also speaking, the Seriki Awusawa of Ogere, Alhaji Abdullahi Abubakar, thanked the government for the initiative and assured that he would ensure drivers comply with traffic rules and make use of designated parking lots provided by the state.
Abubakar, however, appealed to the state government to carry out palliative work inside the garages to encourage articulated vehicle drivers to use the facilities.
Earlier, the Onimeji of Imeji Kingdom, Oba Babatunde, represented by Iyaloja Tiwa New Town, Ogere, Chief Bunkuola Sonubi, and Adenuga Ridwan, representing Dangote Sugar, noted that the challenge of illegal parking and highway blockage should be a collective responsibility of all stakeholders.
Participants at the event included representatives from TRACE, FRSC, NSCDC, Amotekun, the police, road union leaders from NUPENG (PTD), NURTW, RTEAN, NARTO, MAN members from Dangote, Nestle, Apple & Pears, and local community leaders.
