The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has announced plans to intensify traffic management operations across the state as part of measures to tackle increased vehicular and pedestrian movement during the Ember Months and forthcoming festive season. This move aims to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion on major routes. According to Olalekan Bakare-Oki, General Manager of LASTMA, the Authority will deploy an intensified 24-hour traffic management strategy.
The 24-hour traffic management strategy will involve the deployment of LASTMA personnel and specialised response teams to congestion-prone areas, major interchanges, bridges, arterial roads, transport terminals, and commercial districts. The operation will combine real-time traffic monitoring, strategic corridor management, intersection control, traffic-flow optimisation, and rapid response to incidents and obstructions. This approach is expected to detect incidents quickly and mitigate their impact on traffic flow.
Particular attention will be paid to traffic disruptions caused by vehicle breakdowns, crashes, indiscriminate parking, illegal loading and offloading, and other obstructions. To address these issues, the Authority will strengthen its incident management and traffic diversion mechanisms to ensure that accidented and disabled vehicles are quickly removed from carriageways. This will help prevent incidents from causing widespread gridlock.
The LASTMA boss, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, stated that tactical diversions and temporary traffic-control measures would also be introduced where necessary to maintain traffic circulation. He stressed that the expected increase in traffic during the festive period required stronger collaboration among government agencies and other stakeholders. This collaboration will focus on coordinated traffic control, accident evacuation, emergency response, and enforcement.
To achieve effective traffic management, LASTMA will deepen its coordination with various agencies, including the Nigeria Police Force, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos Ambulance Service Agency (LASA), and Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service. The goal is to ensure a unified response to traffic incidents and emergencies.
Olalekan Bakare-Oki urged motorists, commercial transport operators, articulated vehicle and tanker drivers, and other road users to exercise greater caution and comply with traffic regulations during the period. He warned against speeding, reckless overtaking, driving against traffic, illegal parking, indiscriminate loading and offloading, and obstruction of traffic lanes. Motorists are also advised to conduct proper safety checks on their vehicles before embarking on long-distance journeys.
The General Manager urged motorists and other road users to report crashes, vehicle breakdowns, obstructions, and other traffic incidents through LASTMA’s toll-free short code, 3367. This will enable the Authority to respond quickly and reduce incident-clearance time. Bakare-Oki assured Lagos residents and visitors that LASTMA would remain committed to maintaining safe and efficient traffic movement throughout the Ember Months and festive season.
Key points
- LASTMA to deploy 24-hour traffic management strategy to tackle increased vehicular and pedestrian movement during Ember Months and festive season.
- The strategy will involve real-time traffic monitoring, strategic corridor management, and rapid response to incidents and obstructions.
- Motorists and other road users are urged to exercise caution, comply with traffic regulations, and report traffic incidents through LASTMA's toll-free short code, 3367.
