EMBER MONTHS: LASTMA TO DEPLOY 24-HOUR TRAFFIC MANAGEMENT STRATEGY, SEEKS STAKEHOLDERS' COLLABORATION FOR SEAMLESS FESTIVE MOBILITY

By Olayiwola Ibrahim // The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has commenced comprehensive preparations for the Ember months and the forthcoming festive season, with plans to activate an intensified 24-hour traffic management strategy across the State.

The initiative is designed to proactively manage the anticipated increase in vehicular and pedestrian movement, optimize traffic flow and prevent avoidable gridlock during the period.

Disclosing this, the General Manager of LASTMA, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, said the strategy represents a deliberate recalibration of the Authority’s operational structure to ensure enhanced traffic surveillance, rapid incident detection and prompt response across critical corridors.

He stated that personnel and specialized response teams will be strategically deployed to identified flashpoints, major interchanges, bridges, arterial roads, transport terminals and commercial hubs.

Bakare-Oki explained that the operation will leverage real-time traffic monitoring, strategic corridor management, intersection control, traffic-flow optimization, incident-response protocols and rapid clearance of obstructions to sustain network efficiency.

According to him, special attention will be given to bottlenecks caused by vehicle breakdowns, crashes, indiscriminate parking, illegal loading and off-loading, road obstructions and other recurrent impediments to free flow of traffic.

He further disclosed that LASTMA will strengthen its incident management and traffic diversion mechanisms to ensure that accidented or disabled vehicles are promptly evacuated from the road to minimize congestion and prevent secondary crashes.

Where necessary, tactical diversions and temporary traffic control measures will be deployed to maintain continuity and ensure orderly redistribution of traffic.

The General Manager stressed that the complexity and intensity of festive season traffic require unprecedented inter-agency synergy. To this end, LASTMA will deepen collaboration with the Nigeria Police Force, Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Lagos State Emergency Management Agency (LASEMA), Lagos State Ambulance Service (LASAMBUS), Lagos State Fire and Rescue Service, transport unions and other relevant stakeholders for coordinated response, evacuation and enforcement.

He urged motorists, commercial transport operators, articulated vehicle and tanker drivers and other road users to exercise heightened vigilance and strict compliance with traffic regulations.

He specifically cautioned against speeding, reckless overtaking, driving against traffic (one-way), illegal parking, indiscriminate loading and off-loading, obstruction of traffic lanes and other unsafe practices capable of causing crashes and severe congestion.

Bakare-Oki also advised motorists to carry out comprehensive pre-trip checks on their vehicles, particularly braking systems, tyres, lighting and other critical components, before embarking on long-distance journeys.

He encouraged members of the public to promptly report crashes, breakdowns, obstructions and other traffic incidents through LASTMA’s toll-free hotline 0800-00-LASTMA or 112/767, to enable rapid intervention and reduce clearance time.

The General Manager assured Lagos residents and visitors of LASTMA’s unwavering commitment to maintaining safe, efficient and resilient traffic circulation throughout the Ember months and festive season, while soliciting the cooperation of all stakeholders and the motoring public, noting that seamless festive mobility requires professional traffic management, technological intelligence, inter-agency coordination and responsible road-user behaviour.