The Lagos State Government has moved to address renewed traffic congestion on the Apapa port access roads, the Lekki-Epe Expressway and the Lekki Free Trade Zone corridor. It convened an emergency meeting of maritime, transportation and enforcement stakeholders.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Mr Olawale Musa, chaired the meeting. It focused on identifying and tackling operational bottlenecks affecting the movement of articulated trucks and other road users across the major trade corridors.
The government was particularly concerned about the indiscriminate parking of heavy-duty trucks along major roads. It described the practice as a major cause of traffic congestion and disruption to residents, commuters and businesses.
Musa said the state government would step up regulatory and enforcement measures against the indiscriminate parking of articulated trucks along the Lekki-Epe corridor.
He warned that public roads and other infrastructure must not be turned into makeshift truck parks, and urged operators to comply with established traffic regulations and operational protocols.
“The State Government will intensify regulatory and enforcement measures against the indiscriminate parking of articulated trucks along the Lekki-Epe corridor.
“Road infrastructure will not be converted into makeshift truck parks. Operators must adhere strictly to established traffic regulations and operational protocols,” he said.
At the meeting, stakeholders identified five major factors behind the renewed congestion across the affected corridors.
The five factors are the intrusion of unregistered trucks from unauthorised parks into port environments, curfew restrictions affecting trucks bound for bonded terminals, glitches in the Epe Electronic Call-Up System, outdated automation infrastructure at Apapa Port, and the indiscriminate staging of heavy-duty vehicles along major traffic corridors.
Stakeholders said trucks bound for bonded terminals are currently barred from leaving port facilities after 6pm. This leaves vehicles trapped inside the facilities and adds to internal congestion.
They also pointed to glitches in the Epe Electronic Call-Up System as a factor leaving scheduled trucks stranded and unable to reach the Lekki Deep Sea Port.
The existing call-up infrastructure at Apapa Port was also flagged as needing urgent upgrades to achieve seamless digital automation.
Stakeholders further raised concern over the continued parking of articulated trucks along major transit routes, saying it blocks traffic lanes and worsens congestion.
The General Manager of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, LASTMA, Mr Olalekan Bakare-Oki, attended the meeting with senior officials of the agency.
Representatives of the Association of Maritime Truck Owners, AMATO, which operates along the Lekki and Apapa corridors, also attended. So did representatives of the Nigerian Ports Economic Regulatory Agency, NPERA, and the Nigerian Shippers’ Council.
At the end of the deliberations, stakeholders agreed to overhaul the digital truck call-up systems and step up joint enforcement operations across the affected corridors, as part of efforts to restore normal traffic flow.
