Traffic gridlock on Abuja-Keffi Road: Any solution in sight?
Every working day, he wakes up at 4 a.m. in order to be able to beat the usual heavy traffic on the Abuja-Keffi road and be at his duty post before 8 a.m. when work officially begins. Much as Mrs Philomena Onyeagam, another civil servant, tries to emulate the likes of Ogi by rising up […]
Every working day, he wakes up at 4 a.m. in order to be able to beat the usual heavy traffic on the Abuja-Keffi road and be at his duty post before 8 a.m. when work officially begins.
Much as Mrs Philomena Onyeagam, another civil servant, tries to emulate the likes of Ogi by rising up from bed at 4.30 a.m. daily, sometimes, she never gets to the office until well after the official resumption time.
“There are times that the traffic is so heavy and I get to my office after 10 a.m.,” she moans.
Such harrowing experiences have become commonplace for numerous commuters, who ply the Abuja-Nyayan-Mararaba-Keffi route on a daily basis.
Road traffic management officials say that the gridlocks result from either frequent vehicular accidents on the carriageway or outright display of indiscipline by motorists and other road users.
Following persistent complaints by the road users, the FCT Authority has braced to the challenge of providing alternative routes, so as to give relief to the road users, who needlessly waste man hours on the road.
The FCT Minister, Sen. Bala Mohammed, recently announced measures to alleviate the plight of the motorists, in partial response to the ghastly motor accident on the Abuja-Keffi road on June 18, which claimed 20 lives and left many others critically injured.
Observers say that nauseating traffic jams are not limited to the Abuja- Keffi road axis alone but also extend to virtually all other entry/exit points of the FCT, namely the Kubwa and Airport expressways.
Mohammed described the chaotic traffic situation in the city as unacceptable, stressing that it must be decisively addressed to reduce people’s sufferings and loss of man hours.
He specifically charged all agencies operating in the road transport sector to work out modalities to ensure that traffic congestion on the roads were cleared very soon, while contractors handling projects on the routes must take measures to remove traffic obstructions.
Only recently, the Executive Council of the Federation approved the award of contracts for the construction of the Karshi-Apo and Karshi-Arah roads at the cost of N2.3 billion and N4 billion respectively.
Many FCT residents view the projects execution as very timely, as they would significantly ameliorate road users’ plight.
They, however, would not want the projects to suffer the fate of others as the Abuja-Lokoja Expressway project, which has inexplicably dragged on for several years without completion.
Mohammed allayed such fears, saying that his administration would not fold its arms and watch Abuja residents continue to suffer untold hardships on the roads.
He disclosed that contractors handling the two projects had been mobilised with all resources to ensure their speedy completion within the next three months.
“The contractors have been fully mobilised by the FCT Administration, hence there will be no need for any delay due to lack of payment,” he said.
Observers say that such assurances would indeed be pleasant to the ears of the road users, who believe that the 14-km Karshi-Apo and the 25-km Karshi-Arah roads, when completed, would serve as alternative routes to reduce pressure on the Abuja-Keffi road.
Mohammed reiterated that the FCT Administration had re-doubled efforts to complete the Kubwa and Airport expressways within a record time.
Specifically, he said that work on the Airport Expressway Lot I and Lot II had reached 43 per cent and 70 per cent completion stages respectively, while Kubwa’s Lot I and Lot II had attained 53 per cent and 58 per cent completion levels respectively.
Mohammed explained other measures had been put in place to ease traffic flow within the FCT, adding that these included the design, construction and delivery of traffic lights at 20 graded intersections in the Abuja metropolis.
“There is the need for synergy and cooperation amongst all stakeholders, including the security agents as well as Road Transport Owners Association and National Union of Road Transport Workers,” he said.
He noted that gross indiscipline on the part of many road users had compounded the traffic problems on Abuja roads, underscoring the need for security agents to enforce all traffic laws and bring offenders to book.
The FCT minister disclosed that a special bank account for transport management would be opened soon, where all fines realized from traffic offenders will be pooled, to be used for the development of the transport sub-sector in the territory.
Meanwhile, the FCT Administration has evolved a long-term strategy to tackle the transportation problem in the territory as contained in a new transport policy it unfolded recently during a stakeholders meeting in the sector.
Mrs Lois Maikori, the Acting Secretary in charge of the Transport Secretariat of the FCT, said at the meeting that under the new policy, FCT residents would enjoy safe, affordable and environmentally sensitive transport system of world-class status.
“This policy covers all passenger and freight transportation across the FCT. It also provides coordination between federal agencies, FCT and neighbouring states responsible for transport infrastructure and services,” she said.
Also speaking, Mr Willson Unougwu, FCT Administration’s Director of Public Transportation expatiated that “the policy is about integrating transport modes infrastructure and services for convenient and seamless travel, using modern systems like electronic ticketing and payment.”
No doubt, residents of the FCT will be too pleased with any measure that would alleviate their plight, both on the short and long-term basis.
(NANFeatures)