… Vows arrest, prosecution of offenders, violators

The Ondo State Government has declared that motorists, commercial motorcycle riders, and other road users who violate traffic regulations, particularly traffic light signals, will face arrest and prosecution as part of a drive to improve traffic management in Akure metropolis and other parts of the state.

According to the Special Adviser to Governor Lucky Aiyedatiwa on Transportation, Hon. Olumuyiwa Ogunyemi, the enforcement was taken following the ongoing public enlightenment campaigns.

Ogunyemi stated that as part of the new measures, commercial motorcycles, popularly known as Okada, have been banned from operating around the Government House axis in Alagbaka, with riders restricted to designated termination points.

While disclosing the development during a media chat held at the Nigeria Union of Journalists (NUJ) Press Centre in Akure, the state capital, Ogunyemi said road users must begin to adapt to modern traffic management systems, including compliance with traffic lights and designated bus stops, warning that the era of treating traffic regulations with levity was over.

He warned that commercial motorcycle operators and tricycle operators who ignore traffic signals would face arrest and prosecution.

“The people living in the state capital should know that it is no longer business as usual. They must obey traffic lights and traffic regulations. We want to ensure that we do more on enforcement, having already commenced sensitization and enlightenment for road users.

“We have noticed that Okada riders and tricycle operators often fail to wait for the green signal before moving. Such behavior will not be tolerated. Anyone who violates traffic regulations will be arrested and prosecuted, he said”

Ogunyemi further explained that riders approaching from the Police Officers’ Mess route would be confined to approved locations, while those coming through the First Bank area in Alagbaka would terminate their operations around the Teaching Service Commission axis.

He added that tricycle operators and commercial motorcycle riders currently operating around the post office area would be required to relocate in line with the new traffic arrangements.

The Special Adviser also frowned at the indiscriminate use of public spaces meant for transportation purposes, noting that some residents had converted bus stops and road shoulders into trading points and workshops.

“For instance, we have noticed that some people have taken over various bus stops and turned them into business centers. Some people have even converted sections of the roads into workshops. This is unacceptable,” he said.

He stressed that all designated bus stops must be used strictly for passenger pick-up and drop-off, warning that the government would no longer tolerate illegal parking or the display of goods on road corridors.

Ogunyemi noted that additional traffic management facilities, including zebra crossings and speed limit signs, would be installed, particularly around schools and other sensitive locations, to improve road safety.