Okada riders, hawkers create chaos at Kubwa junctions

Motorists going to or from Kubwa town via the AYA-Kubwa-Zuba expressway in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are most often held up in gridlocks at the about five entry and exit points linking the express road. The traffic jams are caused by chaotic scenes created by commercial motorcyclists (okada) and hawkers of variety of wares […]

Motorists going to or from Kubwa town via the AYA-Kubwa-Zuba expressway in the Federal Capital Territory (FCT) are most often held up in gridlocks at the about five entry and exit points linking the express road.

The traffic jams are caused by chaotic scenes created by commercial motorcyclists (okada) and hawkers of variety of wares by the roadside.

There are about five popular junctions that lead into and out of the satellite town from the highway; Federal Housing, Phase 3, NNPC, NYSC, and Arab Junctions.

Some motorists caught up in the traffic chaos told Aso Chronicle that commercial motorcycle riders, who often ride against traffic or park indiscriminately on the road, were the major cause of the gridlock.

They accused commercial motorcyclists as the leading cause of the trouble by wrongfully parking or riding against traffic in their search for passengers. Some of the motorists also said they have witnessed the motorcycle operators resorting to jungle justice against motorists they crashed into.

Francis Okoh, a motorist who spoke with our reporter at Kubwa NNPC bus stop, alleged that the activities of the Okada riders were not regulated by security agencies either at the junctions or in the town.

“Previously, the police used to park their van at the junctions and arrest motorcyclists or motorists that violate traffic regulations, but they withdrew for over a year now.

“And those of them that manage to show up just standby idly and helplessly as the okada riders break the law,” he said.

Also, the congestion at the junctions is made worse when traders display their goods at any available space during the evening rush.

It was observed that bus stops have been provided at Phase 3 and NNPC junctions with parking spaces and pedestrian bridges, but they are not put to proper use.

It was gathered that many taxi and private motorists who ply the routes are also part of the problem as they prefer to drop off their passengers on the service lane around the junctions instead of taking them to the bus stops.

Besides, pedestrians racing across the expressway instead of using the bridges also add to the chaos on the road.

Yusuf Musa, a commercial motorcyclist in Kubwa, who disclosed that their association is no longer in existence following a protest against alleged exploitation by security agencies, acknowledged that the police now just looked on while motorcyclists and other road users misbehave.

He said once a policeman in the course of dealing with a traffic offender from among their members, ended up breaking the hand of the cyclist.

“We protested and blocked a road inside the town. The then Kubwa DPO came and addressed us and promised that the police would no longer interfere in our work. That was the day we got our freedom from police exploitation and also relieved ourselves of the daily money contribution to our union’s so-called association, which was not doing anything about our welfare,” said the motorcyclist.

Reacting, the police Area Commander in Kubwa, ACP Sani Omolori Aliyu, who described the role of the police as a complementary one when it comes to controlling traffic, insisted that men from the command were always available at the junctions to ensure free flow of traffic and dealt with any offender.