Lagos rapid urban growth has outpaced the development of essential infrastructure, particularly, in residential areas. A significant oversight is the insufficient provision of parking spaces in new buildings by property owners and developers, compelling residents and tenants to park on already overburdened streets leading to double parking, obstruction of walkways, and overall traffic bottlenecks.

From Oshodi to Mushin, Lagos Island to Ikeja, Alimosho to Ajegunle, residents park on the road whether at day or the night principally because there are no parking spaces within the residential buildings.

Sometimes, some tenants have to make a different arrangement of where to daily park their cars outside the residential buildings at a fee. This is usually at public infrastructure such as schools’ sport field or any available open space.

The parking of vehicles on the streets and roads, especially at nights, not only exacerbates traffic snarls but also impedes pedestrian movement aside delaying emergency services ability to navigate the roads. Surprisingly, while regulations mandate parking provisions for all facilities, the lack of stringent enforcement has led to widespread non-compliance.

In actual fact, the Lagos State Physical Planning Permit Regulations stipulate that residential buildings including houses, flats and duplexes should provide two car parking spaces per dwelling unit, or two car parking spaces per 100 square meters of the plot area. Many houses in Lagos do not comply with this.

A resident of Oshodi, Olatunji Rasaq, a bus driver, who shuttles between Oja and Oshodi with his korope, narrated how he parked his mini-bus on Ajubulu Street after the day’s business, only to return the following day to find that the bus’ battery has been removed.

“I usually park my bus on the street because the compound where I lived there is no provision for where to park cars.” Rasaq, however, revealed that his experience was far consoling compared to his brother whose car was stolen from the street where he parked it.

Also speaking, Sulaimon Agbelekale said on four occasions his car batteries had been removed where he parked it on the street. He said parking on the streets could cause undue apprehension about a car’s safety especially after a personal negative experience or that of a neighbour.

Similarly, Jude Ogballa said his car had been vandalised too because he parked it on the road.

“Initially, there was space for tenants to park their cars in the house where I live, but the landlord later erected shops on the available space with the compound. So, the tenants with cars were forced to park their cars outside the building complex. We are five tenants with cars but we all park outside the building,” he said.

For a tricycle rider, who simply gave his name as Okunaozara, with the negative experiences of some of his colleagues, he was not ready to fall a victim of his tricycle being stolen or any part being removed so he parks his tricycle in an health centre close to his house where he pays N300 daily to secure it.

“Before, it was N200 but it has been increased to N300 every day. I cannot park my tricycle on the road despite there is a security officer for my street. I remembered when one of my colleagues parked his tricycle in one of the streets around my area, thieves vandalised the battery.

“In Lagos, only few tenants have the opportunity to park their cars within their residential buildings. I don’t have such. Landlords are maximising every available space to make more money, hence, you see tenants parking on the streets.

“In many houses, available spaces have been converted to boys’ quarter and self-contain with little or no space available for other things for those who live in the houses.”

A resident, Tunde Abayomi, stated that the growing urban population and increasing vehicle ownership underscored the need for stricter compliance and innovative solutions to address the city’s parking challenges.

“I went to visit a friend who has an apartment around Itire and I observed that there were about 12 flats in the three storey building yet there was only a space to accommodate just a vehicle. And the space is not for the landlord because he does not stay there and the developer also does not stay there. So, I suspect the tenants will be competing to use the only single space for parking if there are more than one tenants with cars.

“It is not only owners of residential buildings that are guilty of this. There are many buildings being used for commercial activities especially hotels, clubs, event centres and bars with no single parking space for clients and visitors to their facilities.”