The Executive Secretary, Nigerian Shippers’ Council, (NSC), Dr Hassan Bello, says setting up of Truck Transit Parks (TTPs) with an electronic intelligence traffic management system is the solution to the chaotic gridlock in Apapa, and Lagos in general.
He said with the truck transit parks, the congestion within the city would be cleared within three to six months.
Bello made the call while speaking at the third Lagos Traffic Radio lecture series, with the theme: “Lagos State Transport Infrastructural Support Systems: Governor Akinwunmi Ambode’s strides,” on Thursday in Lagos.
According to him, on a daily basis, an average of 7000 trucks and tankers hovered round the Lagos Logistics Ring (LLR) despite the combined capacity utilisation of the two seaports and 27 tank farms, which is less than 2500 trucks and tankers.
Bello, who was represented by the Deputy Director, Monitoring and Enforcement, NSC stated that over 4,500 trucks and tankers traversed the LLR either parked or canvassing for business.
He said, “There is need to establish an Intelligence Traffic Management System to remove the excess trucks and tankers from the LLR. The excess trucks and tankers to be consigned to truck park with scheduled electronic calls to seaports.”
Bello noted that parked articulated vehicles constituted nuisance on the highways, near ports almost everywhere, lamenting that there was no truck stop facility nationwide even at the seaports, adding that over 90 per cent of freight transport in Nigeria was by truck, stressing that transportation safety, productivity and performance were key to economic performance.
Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Kehinde Bamigbetan, who commended the radio station for organising the lecture series, stated that it was instituted to engage stakeholders to provide on best practices and tools that could be deployed to manage the state traffic.