Illegal U-turns, one-way driving worsen chaos as journeys stretch for hours

Tuesday’s journey home, for some commuters on the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway, became a choice between remaining trapped in vehicles that barely moved and abandoning them to trek.

As traffic stretched for hours across the Kara, OPIC, Otedola Bridge and Berger corridors, some motorists reportedly slept in their vehicles, while stranded commuters turned to commercial motorcycles and rough alternative routes to escape the gridlock.

Although the situation eased yesterday after security and traffic management personnel were deployed, the ordeal exposed the growing difficulties confronting motorists on one of Nigeria’s busiest gateways between Lagos and the South-West.

The Lagos and Ogun State governments attributed the gridlock to a crash involving a containerised heavy-duty vehicle around Enyo, Kara Bridge, outbound Lagos.

The traffic on the Lagos-Ibadan corridor was compounded following a multiple-vehicle crash involving three trucks and a car on Otedola Bridge in Lagos.

The Lagos police command said no fatalities had been recorded as of Wednesday evening, adding that the crash occurred at Otedola, shortly before the bridge inward Berger.

Though five people were rescued from the collision, the police command reopened the road to motorists later in the afternoon after the evacuation of the vehicles involved.

The Commissioner for Transportation, Gbenga Dairo, in a statement, said the vehicle reportedly suffered brake failure, causing its container to fall off the truck and obstruct both the inbound and outbound lanes of the expressway.

Dairo, who appealed to motorists to exercise patience as the Kara Bridge Expansion Joint Replacement Project enters its second and final phase, said the situation was worsened by motorists attempting to bypass the obstruction by driving against traffic.

“This action significantly aggravated the traffic situation and contributed to the prolonged gridlock in the area,” he said.

For Kingsley Auta, a commuter who lives in Magboro, what should have been a routine journey from Oshodi became a nightmare after the driver of the vehicle he boarded resorted to driving against traffic.

Auta said the vehicle climbed Gbagada Bridge, came down and entered the expressway against the direction of traffic before reaching the 7UP area.

He said the situation became increasingly chaotic as motorists coming from different directions also began driving one-way. “By the time we got to OPIC, come and see confusion. People coming from Magboro could not move, while those coming towards our side also could not move,” he said.

Auta said the driver eventually navigated rough roads and diversions before returning to the expressway and continuing towards Berger.

Another commuter described the experience as one that left motorists effectively “sleeping on the road”, urging those trapped in the congestion to remain vigilant.

One traveller said she left Ikoyi before 1:00 p.m. but spent about three hours in traffic before reaching Lotto.

She attributed the worsening congestion to the closure of two exit lanes on Kara Bridge, which forced vehicles to use the Kara underbridge before connecting to the exit near New Garage.

According to her, motorists coming from Mowe and Magboro towards Lagos subsequently began driving against traffic to escape the bottleneck, further worsening the situation around Fatgbems and the OPIC turning.

“Even after the two lanes at Kara Bridge were opened, there was no road for them to connect to the Longbridge. We saw shege today,” she said.

A bus fare from Kara to Mowe, which normally costs about N500, reportedly rose to N2,000, while commercial motorcyclists charged between N4,000 and N5,000 for the journey.

Another motorist said the congestion extended to Otedola Bridge and Berger, with some commuters still unable to make meaningful progress after working hours.

By early yesterday morning, motorists were still reporting gridlock in parts of the expressway.

The Acting Federal Controller of Works in Ogun State, Richard Adeleye, said authorities were considering measures to prevent motorists from using the OPIC turning point as an escape route.

He said the Federal and Lagos State governments had deployed additional personnel to control traffic and prevent motorists from driving against the flow of traffic.

Adeleye also promised to engage the Ogun State Commissioner of Police on strengthening enforcement around the affected areas and mounting barricades to discourage motorists from taking the wrong lane.

Dairo said: “The motoring public is hereby advised to exercise caution and strictly adhere to traffic rules and regulations. Motorists are also urged to cooperate with traffic management agencies and avoid driving against traffic (route violation), as such actions pose serious risk and danger to other road users and can further worsen traffic congestion.”

According to him, personnel of the Nigeria Police Force, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Traffic Compliance and Enforcement Agency (TRACE) and Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) had been deployed to the outbound and inbound sections of the Kara axis.

He said their deployment was aimed at facilitating safe and orderly movement of traffic and minimising disruptions during the Kara Bridge expansion joint replacement exercise.

But motorists said enforcement alone would not resolve the recurring bottleneck.

Monday Akioye argued that congestion around the corridor, particularly the problem created by motorists driving against traffic, would persist unless the OPIC-wide turning point was blocked and a safer alternative provided.

He suggested constructing a proper overhead bridge for U-turns, similar to the one at Gbagada in Lagos, or adopting an alternative arrangement like the one at Bank-Anthony after the U-turn at Lagos Country Club was removed.

Akioye also suggested that the area beneath Kara Bridge could be considered as a designated U-turn point.
“Nobody should go down there to follow one-way,” he warned.

Other commuters called for stronger enforcement by the police, FRSC and other traffic management agencies against motorists who violate traffic rules.

One commuter also suggested an alternative route linking Olowora, Isheri-Olofi and OPIC to reduce pressure on the expressway.

For those caught in the gridlock, however, the debate over who was responsible offered little comfort.

After spending hours in vehicles barely moving, some abandoned their cars and trekked, while others paid heavily for commercial motorcycles to reach their destinations.

Dairo appealed for patience and cooperation, saying the state government was committed to ensuring the timely completion of the project because of its “critical importance to commerce and as the Gateway to the nation.”

With reconstruction continuing, traffic volumes remaining high and problematic turning points still creating pressure, motorists say stricter enforcement, better diversion planning and permanent solutions to dangerous U-turns will be necessary to prevent the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway from becoming a daily ordeal for commuters.