Why gridlock persists on Lagos-Ibadan expressway – FRSC

As the Lagos-Ibadan expressway gridlock worsens with motorists spending close to four hours within Lagos and Mowe in Ogun State, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has blamed impatience on the part of motorists on the perennial gridlock. The FRSC Zonal Commanding Officer representing Lagos and Ogun states, Assistant Corps Marshal Samuel Obayemi, however, said […]

As the Lagos-Ibadan expressway gridlock worsens with motorists spending close to four hours within Lagos and Mowe in Ogun State, the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC) has blamed impatience on the part of motorists on the perennial gridlock.

The FRSC Zonal Commanding Officer representing Lagos and Ogun states, Assistant Corps Marshal Samuel Obayemi, however, said the Corps had deployed ample personnel for the yuletide patrol.

Obayemi said that with the ongoing construction work on the expressway some sections of the road had been closed to traffic, but the gridlock had been worsened by motorists’ failure to comply with road signs and instructions.

Daily Trust reports that motorists using the expressway have been groaning over the gridlock, especially outwards Lagos, which stretches from the 7up/tollgate section to the Mowe end of the expressway.

The Minister of Health, Senator Olorunnibe Mamora, said he spent five hours on Saturday on the expressway on his way to Abeokuta, Ogun State, adding that even his police escort could not help the situation.

A resident of Magboro, a community off the Ibafo area of the expressway, also lamented, “I spent two hours from Alausa to Magboro yesterday. The gridlock is just getting worse on a daily basis.”

Speaking with our correspondent on the sidelines of the annual Nigeria Auto Journalists’ Association (NAJA) awards, the FRSC Zonal Commander advised motorists to be patient on the road and obey traffic rules and regulations.

Obayemi added that following the federal  government’s recent reopening of the Kara end of the expressway, the contractor, Julius Berger, had moved downward to close the other section of the road to ease construction work.

He added, “These repairs are in phases, there is no way the contractor can do all the work at a time. Some parts of the road must be blocked for them to be able to work on a particular segment. The reason why that of Kara was so important is because around that corridor is where there are residential houses and the cattle market. People traverse between there and their places of work in Lagos.

“Our advice has always been that people should be patient and respect other road users. Our disobedience and non-adherence to instructions from people who are in charge of the roads are what is responsible for some of these problems we are witnessing.”