As a daily user of Eko bridge I think it is high time the authorities examine the farce that recreates itself every morning on Eko bridge.
As a daily user of Eko bridge I think it is high time the authorities examine the farce that recreates itself every morning on Eko bridge.
The essential purpose for setting up LASTMA is supposed to be that they will ensure free and fast flow of traffic and definitely not for they to become the ones causing a gridlock on the road. Unfortunately the LASTMA officials on Eko bridge are the number one cause of hold ups on the bridge. Firstly, immediately after the incoming road from Apapa the LASTMA officials station themselves in large numbers issuing contradictory instructions to road users. The whole purpose of these instructions is to arrest people on allegation of commital of indecipherable offences. Once they are able to stop a vehicle right in the middle of the road, they have acheived their purpose.
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The road is then turned into a one lane road, as the "offending driver" will refuse to allow them into his car. This therefore helps the LASTMA officals to totally paralyze traffic on the road.
One amazing feature of this daily occurence is that the other numerous LASTMA officials instead of assisting to remove the "offending vehicle" all start heading towards Alaka with the hope that some motorists caught in the gridlock will offend the no driving on the
BRT lane rule. As is to be expected, some motorists will of course offend this rule. Invariably they stop the new offender on one lane again, thereby multiplying the hold up exponentially. This hold up regularly streaches to Alaka and enables the LASTMA men to widen the area for further arrests. The net effect of this is that even the BRT buses for whose benefit the no driving on the BRT route was made are caught up at Alaka on the two lane part of the road.
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The honest truth is that there is absolutely no reason for hold ups to occur on Eko bridge. Before the coming of LASTMA to the bridge, hold ups were a rarity on top of that bridge and will only occur when a vehicle breaks down. Since LASTMA descended on that bridge, interminable hold ups on the bridge is a daily occurence. The askance looks on the faces of the so called traffic officials, leaves absolutely no doubt that their primary objective is to cause hold ups and definitely not to clear them.
It is my considered opinion that these LASTMA men desecrate the good work being carried out by other LASTMA officials in Lagos State, sometimes at great risk to their lives and limbs. They also desecrate the excellent work being carried out all over Lagos by his excellency, the Executive Governor of Lagos State, Tunde Fashola. As a stakeholder, I am urging the Governor to immediately call these LASTMA officials to order. There must be a better and smatter way of arresting offenders in a mega city like Lagos, rather than using their vehicles to narrow Eko bridge into a one lane road, and it is the duty of these LASTMA officials to think up these alternative methods. The general public should not be made to suffer because of the incompetence or delibrate greed of LASTMA officials
Anthony Emeka Odikpo
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