The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has called for stronger inter-agency collaboration and public cooperation as it prepares to activate a 24-hour traffic management strategy for the Ember Months and festive season.
The strategy is aimed at managing increased vehicular and pedestrian movements, improving traffic circulation and preventing avoidable congestion across the state during the period.
The Director, Public Affairs and Enlightenment Department, LASTMA, Taofiq Adebayo, in a statement on Sunday, credited to the General Manager of the agency, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, said the initiative would involve intensified traffic surveillance, rapid incident detection and prompt response on critical transportation corridors.
Bakare-Oki said LASTMA personnel and specialised response teams would be deployed to congestion-prone locations, major interchanges, bridges, arterial routes, transport terminals and commercial districts.
According to the General Manager, the operation would leverage real-time traffic monitoring, strategic corridor management, intersection control, traffic-flow optimisation, incident-response protocols and rapid clearance of obstructions.
He said particular attention would be paid to traffic disruptions caused by vehicle breakdowns, crashes, indiscriminate parking, illegal loading and off-loading, road obstructions and other impediments to free movement.
Bakare-Oki added that the authority would strengthen its incident management and traffic diversion mechanisms to ensure that accidented or disabled vehicles were promptly removed from carriageways to reduce congestion and the risk of secondary crashes.
“Where necessary, tactical diversions and temporary traffic-control measures will be deployed to preserve network continuity and facilitate the orderly redistribution of traffic,” he said.
He said the intensity of festive-season traffic required closer coordination among relevant agencies and stakeholders.
The General Manager said LASTMA would deepen collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Lagos Ambulance Service Agency, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, transport unions and other stakeholders.
He said the collaboration would focus on coordinated incident response, accident evacuation, traffic control and enforcement during the period.
Bakare-Oki urged motorists, commercial transport operators, articulated-vehicle and tanker drivers and other road users to exercise caution and comply with traffic regulations.
He specifically cautioned against speeding, reckless overtaking, driving against traffic, popularly known as “one-way”, illegal parking, indiscriminate loading and off-loading, and obstruction of traffic lanes.
“These practices are capable of causing road traffic crashes and worsening congestion, particularly during periods of increased traffic,” he said.
Bakare-Oki also advised motorists to carry out pre-trip vehicle safety checks, particularly on braking systems, tyres, lighting and other critical components, before embarking on long-distance journeys.
He urged members of the public to report crashes, vehicle breakdowns, road obstructions and other traffic incidents through LASTMA’s toll-free short code, 3367, to facilitate prompt intervention and reduce incident-clearance time.
He assured Lagos residents and visitors of LASTMA’s commitment to maintaining safe and efficient traffic movement throughout the Ember Months and festive season.
He said seamless movement during the period would require effective traffic management, inter-agency coordination, timely incident response and responsible behaviour by road users.
LASTMA Activates 24-Hour Traffic Strategy for Ember Months
