The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has delivered a categorical and uncompromising caution to residents, community custodians, religious bodies, party conveners and organisers of diverse socio-cultural activities against the indiscriminate obstruction of access roads before, during and after events slated for the rapidly approaching festive season across the State.
The Agency lamented the persistent and worrisome tendency of celebrants, worship centres, event planners, street revellers and associated groups to annex critical road corridors thereby disrupting unhindered traffic circulation and subjecting law-abiding motorists to needless gridlocks, safety risks and severe inconvenience.
LASTMA stressed that all roadways, whether trunk routes or inner streets, constitute public assets and must not, under any circumstance, be commandeered for private festivities or religious congregations.
Similarly, proprietors of event centres, lounges, clubs and allied recreational establishments especially those operating within high-traffic precincts such as Ikoyi, Victoria Island, Lekki, Shongotedo and contiguous environs have been unequivocally instructed to provide adequate, well-coordinated parking arrangements for their clientele. Facilities whose patrons habitually spill vehicles onto major thoroughfares stand liable to rigorous enforcement measures, heavy sanctions and potential closure as mandated by extant traffic statutes.
The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki issued this caution over the weekend while on an inspection tour accompanied by top management team of the Agency to all major traffic prone corridors across the State
Bakare-Oki reaffirmed LASTMA’s unwavering resolve to safeguard the free movement of vehicles, persons, goods and services throughout the festive period a season traditionally marked by heightened celebrations and elevated vehicular density.
He disclosed that LASTMA officers will intensify surveillance, upscale operational visibility, and deploy proactive traffic management strategies to forestall avoidable obstructions, curb illegal parking and suppress all forms of traffic infractions.
The General Manager appealed to residents and event organisers to conduct their affairs responsibly by securing requisite approvals, instituting proper logistical arrangements and extending full cooperation to LASTMA operatives and other relevant government agencies to guarantee a safe, orderly and congestion-free celebratory season for all commuters.
He further reiterated that the Agency will not hesitate to invoke the full force of the law against any individual, organisation or establishment that violates traffic regulations or compromises the collective right of Lagosians to unobstructed mobility.
Bakare-Oki additionally disclosed that LASTMA has fortified its operational architecture to ensure rapid response to emergencies, traffic incidents and the swift clearance of broken-down vehicles across every corridor of the State.
He restated that the Agency’s toll-free hotline, 080000527862, remains fully operational and readily accessible to members of the public, particularly motorists in need of urgent road traffic assistance.
