By Demi Adeniyi
The Lagos State Government shed more light yesterday, on its Parking Policy set to commence from October 2024.
The General Manager Lagos State Parking Authority (LASPA), Mrs Adeniyi Adelabu, revealed that parking charges will vary, depending on areas, or axis coming close to the Band A-E system being used by the Electricity distribution companies.
Adelabu explained that motorists in Victoria Island, Ikoyi and Lekki who are likely to be in Band A, will be paying more to utilize the newly created 1,800 additional parking slots compared to other parts of the State.
According to the LASPA General Manager, “We have categorized different parts of Lagos under category A, B and C. We have Victoria Island, Ikoyi, Lekki up to Jakande, part of Ikeja and part of Surulere, under different categories in the Lagos Parking Policy.
“This is very intentional because globally, you start your Parking Policy from the more responsive areas before going into the interior and metropolitan areas.
“For instance, what motorists will pay in Victoria Island and its environs will be different from what motorists in Surulere will pay. This is for obvious reasons, the income generated in these areas cannot be compared with each other.
“Typically, during the hours in Victoria Island, motorists will pay N1,000 per hour while those in Surulere will pay between N500 and N200 per hour to utilize the on-street parking slots provided by the State.
“Some areas, because of the nature of businesses that operates there, we will be operating different hourly schedule for parking. While some areas will experience on-street parking policy of 7am to 7pm, some other areas will experience a 24-hours parking policy and some areas will experience Weekends Parking Policy only.
“We have been intentional on how best to get it right. The last two years, we have been looking at how best to approach this. We, in conjunction with our Consultant have been talking to stakeholders involved to ensure we get it right.
“So, it’s not one fee across the State. This is very important to note. Also, it’s important to note that we are not rolling out the Parking Policy all at once. We are taking it in phases. The areas mentioned are the places we are starting off this year.
“Next year, we will be moving into the typical CBD’s like Apapa, Lagos Island. The cost will vary from between N1000 to N200 per hour.”
Recall that in February this year, Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu had approved the introduction of regulated on-street parking, which was announced during a stakeholder’s forum held on February 14, 2024, at the Lagos Marriott Hotel, Ikeja.
As part of efforts to inform stakeholders, including religious organisations who were adequately represented at the forum, about the upcoming implementation in October, LASPA communicated with umbrella bodies representing every group.
Additionally, Lagos State Government has designated and lane-marked suitable roads for on-street parking across major zones such as Ikeja, Surulere, Victoria Island, Ikoyi, and Lekki, creating approximately 1800 additional parking slots.
Admitting that the parking charges is the responsibilities of local councils, Adelabu said in Lagos, the council’s had permitted the state government to take over their responsibilities for more effective coordination and overall benefit of the people of the state.
She added that the communication sent to religious institutions recently, serves to notify them of their respective roles and the financial aspects of utilizing these designated parking lots. The management of these facilities will be overseen by concessionaires under the regulation of the Lagos State Parking Authority, she added.
Sunrise News recalls that human rights lawyer, Chief Femi Falana, SAN, had last year sued the state government for usurping the powers of the local governments in the state over the collection of parking levies.
Falana, in a suit before the Lagos State High Court had prayed the court to declare null and void the establishment of the agency created for the purpose of collection of parking levies from the motoring public in the grounds that it was acting in flagrant disregard of the nation’s law.
Falana chambers had argued that neither the state government nor the councils in the state have the powers to unilaterally amend the provisions of the 1999 constitution as amended to suit itself as regards parking levies.
The state government in its defence had insisted that the local councils unanimously agreed to cede their powers to collect parking levies in their domain to the state government for more effective coordination and administration in line with it’s Lagos State Road Transport Reform Law 2018 as amended.