Lagos to enforce restrictions on daytime movement of trailers, container trucks, others

Lagos State Government said it will start implementing the restriction of trucks and long vehicles to night operations on certain routes.

The government said the restrictions of containerised trailers and trucks will now be from 9:00pm to 6:00am.

Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation, Dr Frederic Oladeinde, made the disclosure at a stakeholders meeting on implementation of trucks and long vehicles restriction to night time operations and dedicated routes in the state.

Oladeinde said the decision was to curb traffic and fatalities caused by articulated vehicles on roads in the state.

“The number of trailers that fell on our roads is very alarming. It is important that we protect the people of Lagos state and it is important that we protect their property,” Oladeinde said.

“We have experienced a lot of tankers carrying 90, 000 litres and had to break down on the road.

“Any tanker that carries more than 45, 000 liters will be confiscated. We will also ensure sanctions on defaulters.”

Oladeinde said the restriction is part of government’s efforts to curb consistent road crashes attributed to operations of long vehicles on the road.

“Containerised trailers are not allowed to travel during the day, it has to be at night time between 9 pm and 6 am. They have to abide by this timing in accordance with the Transportation Law, 2018.”

He said that the high percentage of road crashes involving articulated vehicles was caused by human errors and announced sanctions for defaulting long vehicles.

Oladeinde said the government intends to collaborate with law enforcement agencies, Department of Petroleum Resources and other critical stakeholders in implementing some of these strategies in a month time.

The commissioner said provision of security for day and night operations, state government infrastructure development in terms of road, truck parks, road signage, road call-up systems and others will be made for effective monitoring.

Oladeinde said the government had defined dedicated industrial and boundary routes for trucks and trailers.

“There will be routes where trailers will be restricted. Trailers can no longer travel across the whole of Lagos, we will make sure that we provide the essential infrastructure,” Oladeinde said. “We must keep our roads safe.

The commissioner, who called for support from stakeholders, said the meeting was to arrive at a mutually agreed position on seamless implementation of the strategy.

Lagos State director of transportation Abdul-Hafiz Toriola explained that trucks and trailers had been restricted from plying Ojota, Maryland, Palmgroove, Fadeyi and Western Avenue to Apapa.

Toriola said such long vehicles from Lagos-Ibadan Expressway will ply Alapere-Ogudu-Gbagada-Oshodi Apapa Expressway to Apapa and follow same route out of Lagos.

General Manager, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Olajide Oduyoye, applauded the planned implementation of the restriction, said that such would lessen the stress of LASTMA officials towing vehicles and end the era of unnecessary killings by some of the drivers

A representative of the Nigeria Ports Authority (NPA) Ayodele Durowaye said the restriction of movement till 9pm to 6am will affect the system of port fundamentally.

Ayodele expressed concerns over security on people’s investment at night and called for more engagements to find a way forward.