[dropcap]C[/dropcap]oncerned by the grinding cases of gridlock along Lagos-Ibadan expressway arising from the ongoing rehabilitation work on the road, the Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Dr Boboye Oyeyemi on Friday led a special patrol along the corridor, resulting in the easing off of the perennial gridlock usually noticed in the area on Fridays.
Oyeyemi who was accompanied on the patrol by the Head of Federal Operations at the National Headquarters Abuja; the Zonal Commanding Officer Zone RS2 Lagos; the head of National Uniform Licensing Scheme and the Sector Commander of Lagos state sector command, among other senior officers, took time to personally supervise movement of traffic from the Ojota end of the road to the main construction site along the expressway.
Bisi Kazeem, Head of Media Relations and Strategy, FRSC in a press release confirmed that after evaluating the movement of traffic on the ever busy road, the Corps Marshal directed that a diversion be created at the OPIC Junction by Fagbemi along the expressway. With that measure, he directed that only the articulated vehicles from the Lagos end of the road should be allowed to continue their journey on the same route, while smaller vehicles including buses be diverted to the other lane by Marshals strategically stationed at the junction to direct the vehicles. This promptly brought sanity to the area as traffic movement immediately improved on both sides of the road.
Oyeyemi noted that the measure was taken to temporarily address the congestion at the construction spot in view of the anticipated increase in volume of traffic on weekends. He added the construction company handling that portion of the road had given assurances that another alternative route would be opened to traffic on Saturday to complement the traffic decongestion measures already put in place by the FRSC.
Speaking with newsmen after monitoring the traffic to determine the workability of the diversion measure, the Corps Marshal expressed satisfaction with the success recorded in easing off the traffic and commended the relevant stakeholders including law enforcement agencies for collaborating with the FRSC to bring succour to the motorists. He expressed relief with the assurances given by the construction company on timely completion of the project and commended them for adhering to the traffic regulations in construction areas.
The Corps Marshal called on motorists to exercise patience and restraint while using the road, enjoining them to plan their trip well ahead of time. According to him, whatever inconveniences that the commuters are experiencing at the moment would soon give way to relief, when the construction work is completed.
He stated:“What the people requires is patience and restraint while using the road, because a situation where everyone wants to make use of the same portion of the road at the same time without anyone showing consideration to the rights of others could only lead to the type of chaos we have always witnessed here.
“If drivers could be patient and show restraint while using the road, we are sure that the hardships would be a thing of the past, because in a matter of time, everyone would have the right of way and pass that portion of the road more conveniently.”
Oyeyemi further stated that as part of the proactive measures by the Corps to bring reliefs to the commuters along the road, he has increased the number of personnel and logistics, while directing the Zonal Commanding Officer and the Sector Commander to work round the clock to ensure that there was no return to the status quo in the driving habits of the drivers. He vowed that the Corps would no longer tolerate disobedience to traffic rules and regulations along the road, as erring drivers risk their vehicles being impounded while Mobile Court sittings would be increased for quick dispensation of cases against traffic violators.
Also speaking on the level of preparedness of the construction companies to complete the rehabilitation work on time, one of the site supervisors, Friday Onyebolise assured members of the public that he was confident that, with the pace of work being done, the road would be completed by December and opened fully for use by motorists.
Commuters who noticed heavy presence of FRSC personnel and improvement in traffic movement along the route hailed the Corps Marshal for his personal intervention to address the gridlock. He was also commended for the commitment he has shown in addressing the challenges of traffic management in the area.
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