Ember Months: LASTMA To Deploy 24-Hour Traffic Operation Across Lagos

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The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) is set to activate a 24-hour traffic management strategy across the state during the Ember Months and festive season to tackle anticipated increases in vehicular and pedestrian movements.

The General Manager of LASTMA, Olalekan Bakare-Oki, disclosed this in a statement, saying the intensified operation was designed to prevent avoidable gridlock and ensure smoother traffic flow across major roads and transportation corridors.

Bakare-Oki said LASTMA personnel and specialised response teams would be strategically deployed to congestion-prone locations, major interchanges, bridges, arterial roads, transport terminals and commercial districts.

He said the operation would deploy real-time traffic monitoring, strategic corridor management, intersection control, traffic-flow optimisation and rapid incident response to improve movement across the state.

According to him, particular attention would be paid to traffic disruptions caused by vehicle breakdowns, crashes, indiscriminate parking, illegal loading and off-loading, road obstructions and other impediments to free movement.

The LASTMA boss said the agency would also strengthen its incident-management and traffic-diversion mechanisms to ensure that accidented and disabled vehicles were quickly evacuated from carriageways.

He added that tactical diversions and temporary traffic-control measures would be introduced where necessary to prevent incidents from causing prolonged congestion and secondary crashes.

Bakare-Oki stressed that the expected intensity of festive-season traffic required stronger collaboration among relevant government agencies and other stakeholders.

He said LASTMA would deepen operational cooperation with the Nigeria Police Force, Federal Road Safety Corps, Lagos State Emergency Management Agency, Lagos Ambulance Service Agency, Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, transport unions and other stakeholders.

The collaboration, he said, would focus on coordinated traffic control, accident evacuation, incident response and enforcement.

The LASTMA General Manager urged motorists, commercial transport operators, articulated-vehicle and tanker drivers and other road users to exercise greater caution and comply strictly with traffic regulations.

He warned against speeding, reckless overtaking, driving against traffic, illegal parking, indiscriminate loading and off-loading and obstruction of traffic lanes.

Bakare-Oki also advised motorists embarking on long-distance journeys to conduct thorough vehicle safety checks, particularly on braking systems, tyres, lighting and other critical components.

He urged residents to report crashes, vehicle breakdowns, obstructions and other traffic incidents through LASTMA’s toll-free hotline 3367 to facilitate rapid response and clearance.

Bakare-Oki assured Lagos residents and visitors of LASTMA’s commitment to maintaining safe and efficient traffic circulation throughout the Ember Months and festive season.

He appealed for the cooperation of motorists and other stakeholders, saying seamless festive mobility would require effective traffic management, inter-agency coordination, technology and responsible road-user behaviour.

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