REMOVE THE TRUCKS ON LAGOS BRIDGES

Sonnie Ekwowusi argues that the traffic gridlock is worsened by trucks parked on bridges

THE ESSENCE OF POLITICS IS TO PROMOTE THE COMMON GOOD AND SPECIFICALLY TO IMPROVE THE WELFARE OF THE PEOPLE

The Lagos authorities say that they do not know the main cause of the increasing vehicular traffic jams in Lagos. Consequently they have set up a task force code-named Operation Restore Sanity on Lagos Roads/Operation Velvet to solve the Lagos traffic problem. But unfortunately under the pretext of ridding Lagos of vehicular traffic congestions, the Police, LASTMA, FRSC, Civil Defence Corps and others have been patrolling round Lagos harassing innocent motorists. According to the Police Public Relations Officer of the State Police Command Chike Oti, the frustration of commuters plying the Lagos highways stems from the lawlessness of some road users.

At times I wonder whether some of these people who claim to be our leaders are in touch with the social realities. Who does not know that the main cause of the upsurge in intractable vehicular traffic congestions in Lagos in recent times is the heavy duty trucks (many of which are Dangote trucks) parked atop the Lagos bridges and the expressways for almost one year now? Even a small kid in primary school knows that it is wrong to turn the bridges into parking lots for heavy duty trucks because the bridges stand the risk of being damaged. To convert the bridges on which vehicles are meant to ply into parking lots for trucks and trailers is senseless. I am surprised that Asiwaju Bola Tinubu is less bothered about the collapse of the bridges. Already the foundations of the bridges have been weakened by humongous potholes, depressions and cracks. The bridge pavement surfaces have become uneven. The piers on which the bridges rest have shifted, a sign of serious structural problems. The heat emanating from the fire set under the bridges by some food vendors have degraded the bridge concrete decks as well as reduced the tensile strength of the iron rods of the bridges. Now to worsen the poor state of the bridges, the Lagos authorities are now authorising owners and drivers of heavy duty trucks and trailers to be parking their vehicles atop the Lagos bridges and expressways. As result almost all Lagos roads have become inaccessible owing to intractable vehicular traffic jams on the bridges and expressway. Lagos is a city with interlinking and interconnecting network of bridges and expressways. A vehicular traffic jam that starts on, say, Eko Bridge triggers off chains of traffic jams on Ojuelegba Bridge, Marina, Ikoyi Bridge, Carter Bridge, Ikorodu Road, Third Mainland Bridge, Mile 2, Festac and so forth. For example, the Ojuelegba Bridge is an important bridge that connects motorists and travellers to Lagos Island. It is incredible that over the last nine months heavy duty trucks have been allowed to park at the foot of the Ojuelegba Bridge. Consequently many vehicles trying to access the bridge from Maryland or Yaba could not do so. Everyday motorists are trapped on the bridge for countless hours. Not infrequently rickety trailers and oil takers unable to climb the bridge collapse and crush passers-by to death. It seems as if Eko Bridge is the worst hit. For example, penultimate Sunday most residents of Surulere and Yaba could not access the Eko Bridge let alone go to Lagos Island simply because Eko Bridge was rendered impassable by heavy duty trailers parked on the bridge. It is probably only in Nigeria that wicked leaders derive joy in inflicting suffering on their fellow human beings. You can imagine the number of Lagosians who have died or suffered stroke or other deadly illness owing to the traffic jams resulting from the parked trucks on the bridges. The annoying aspect is that the Lagos authorities are playing dirty politics with the tragedy. Instead of ridding the bridges of the heavy trucks to smoothen the flow of traffic in Lagos the Lagos authorities have set up a useless task force that is now harassing innocent motorists and extorting money from them. So long as trailers and petrol tankers negligently driven by illiterate drivers are allowed to continue to encumber the Lagos bridges and highways the Lagos traffic situation will continue to worsen.

Apart from the heavy duty vehicles encumbering the Lagos bridges and causing traffic jams, about 90 per cent of the tankers and trucks plying the Lagos highways are not roadworthy. Very often these rickety trucks are carelessly abandoned right in the middle of the highways. Besides, they produce thick black suffocating fumes from their exhaust pipes. Their tyres are so completely worn out that the pieces are tied together with ropes. The trucks have no brakes even though they carry heavy cranes. The heavy cranes fall off the trucks from time to time killing innocent motorists and blocking the expressways. For example, last Saturday a rickety truck collapsed across the Anthony area of Ikorodu Road. Consequently the whole Ikorodu Road and all the roads leading to Ikeja, Mushin, Yaba, Surulere and the Lagos Island were impassable

Therefore if the Lagos authorities are really keen on solving t agos of heavy duty trucks that are not roadworthy. Heavy trucks that are abandoned on the expressways should be seized. Any petrol tanker or trailer that fails the road worthiness test should be stopped from plying the highways. The paradox is that the FRSC and others checking the roadworthiness of vehicles do not lift a finger to check the rickety trucks and trailers. They are only interested in checking fine private cars in order to extort money from their owners. As a matter of urgency, heavy-duty trucks and tankers parked on Lagos bridges should be removed forthwith. Nothing justifies or rationalizes the abandonment of those heavy-duty trailers on the bridges. The owners and drivers of the trucks are not above the law. So, no excuse for not removing those trucks weighing heavily on the bridges and causing tremendous vehicular traffic jams in Lagos. Ex-Governor of Lagos Fashola successfully ordered for the removal of the heavy trucks on the bridges. So, why is it so difficult to remove the trucks abandoned on the bridges today?. The Lagos authorities should think properly. The Lagos bridges were never designed to serve as parking lots for heavy-duty trailers. They were designed for vehicles to move on them. A stitch in time, they say, saves nine. The authorities should not wait for the bridges to collapse and kill people or crush vehicles before removing the trucks and trailers on them. We pray that one oil tanker parked on the bridge will not catch fire one day and produce huge inferno that will engulf the whole bridge and burn commuters to death.