Anyone familiar with the perennial traffic gridlock for many years in Ikotun — a tickly populated suburb of Lagos — will express shock at the new dawn around the popular bus stop and BRT terminal there.
Opposite the expansive terminal which is by the dual carriage Ikotun-Idimu road is the boisterous Ikotun (Irepodun) market, Ikotun roundabout, Ijegun road, Igando road and Egbe-Ejigbo road.
The place was a conundrum, and that is putting it lightly. With the taking over of the BRT terminal/Ikotun bus stop by traders, hawkers and street urchins, gridlock became the second name of the area.
There is hardly any time you get to the axis without encountering a traffic snarl. It became so bad that vehicles either took one way or simply made a U-turn. Some completely avoided the bus stop preferring to find alternatives in far-flung places.
What’s more, the BRT system, which is supposed to guarantee faster and cheaper commuting, became stranded as the traffic had no respect for any new ideas.
But that was until 2 November, when the Lagos State Taskforce on Environment led by the Chairman of the agency, CSP Adetayo Akerele, extended its good works to Ikotun roundabout and addressed long-standing complaints about street trading, trading on the kerb and walkways, illegal parking, and commercial vehicles obstructing traffic in the area. The taskforce is an enforcement team commanded by Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu himself.
Since the operation, it has been gratitude from an appreciative public. Residents and commuters along the axis expressed relief, noting that the streets, previously impassable are now free for pedestrians, passengers, and vehicles to move without impediments.
A visit to the area showed an unbelievable experience by this writer as traffic was smooth with vehicles having easy passage and commuters the better for it.
The traffic officers at the roundabout now have less to do. The reality now is that life is better using Ikotun as a transit point.
It is worth noting that most of the bottlenecks at major bus stops are caused by human beings as was the case in Ikotun. Illegal trading and parking are the major causative factor. It will be good for the state to ensure local government officials stop encouraging traders obstructing traffic because it has been observed that they collect levies from the traders and allow them to create bottlenecks by the road sides and bus stops.
Also, security agents like traffic officers should equally be warned to desist from collecting money from bus drivers which allow them to park at illegal points and block traffic.
At the end of the exercise, the agency urged traders and commercial motorists to adhere to state laws to avoid future disruptions. Residents welcomed the task force’s actions, calling for continuous enforcement to keep the area orderly and free of impediments.
On his part, Gbadeyan Abdulraheem, the Director of Press and Public Affairs for the Lagos State Taskforce, reiterated that the operation marks a significant step towards ensuring safer and more efficient transportation for all road users in the state.
Since that operation, the agency has moved to other parts of the state and the verdict is the same: brilliant!
