Gboyega Akinsanmi
The Lagos State Government on Monday unveiled new multiple laybys to decongest the intractable gridlocks which, it said, had been a source of concern for commuters coming from Lagos Island through the Third Mainland Bridge.
The state government added that the initiative would reduce travel time “to an average of 15 minutes from Obalande to Iyana Oworonsoki,” which, according to it, was hitherto one and half hours during the peak period.
The Special Adviser to the Governor on Transportation, Prince Olarenwaju Elegushi, explained the significance of the initiative after unveiling the multiple laybys at Iyana Oworonsoki, where he expressed Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s resolve to make living and doing business in Lagos worthwhile.
At the unveiling, Elegushi emphasised the importance of the initiative, saying it was part of Ambode’s commitment and strategic approach to solving the recurring gridlocks along the length of the Third Mainland Bridge.
He stated that the multiple laybys “have at least created some orderliness and reduced the travel time to an average of 15 minutes from Obalande to Iyana Oworonsoki, which was hitherto one and half hours.”
The special adviser noted that conscious and deliberate steps had also been taken, using the Ministry of Transportation and its agencies, to improve on basic elements of roads, provision of transport infrastructure and safer drivers.
“Aside from the multiple laybys constructed at Iyana Oworonsoki, Berger and Car Wash, we have also consciously provided roads infrastructure such as the reconstruction of perimeter fence, perimeter height, Teflon bus shelter, among others, which is to holistically address the gridlocks along the routes.
“Transportation is the life-wire of every economy and the oil that runs the wheel of every business. The volume of goods and service that are exchanged per time, the ease and speed at which it is done translate into a value chain of productivity, employment, wealth creation and prosperity.
“The position of Lagos today as the foremost economic, industrial, commercial and urban cosmopolis in West Africa cannot be divorced from the development of its transportation system,” the special adviser said.
He, however, warned that the lay-bys should not be used as loading bays by commercial drivers, adding that the state government would set up a committee to monitor the facility with a view to ensuring that they are not converted to mechanic village and other illegal activities.
