The Lagos State Government has revamped its Strategic Transport Master Plan to move the State to bolster Economic growth and development in line with the Smart City goal.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde while delivering his keynote address at the 2nd Edition of the Lagos Transport Fest 2020, stated that the revamping of the plan was required to address the current transportation challenges by identifying facilities and services to manage the dynamics of Lagos as a Smart City.
‘‘Transportation plays a crucial role in urban development by providing access for people to; education, markets, employment, recreation, health care and other key services. Especially in cities of the developing world, enhanced mobility for the poor and vulnerable groups is one of the most important preconditions for alleviating poverty. Those cities with transport modes in an integrated system are more likely to evolve and prosper as centers for trade, commerce, industry, education, tourism and services.’’ Oladeinde stressed.
The Commissioner said further that the Master plan will be anchored on strategic implementation of major reforms which will include; developing comprehensive mass transit systems that will connect all the 28 activity centres in Lagos and the development of water based network with land based Mass Transit systems.
He added that the plan will also optimize existing road networks to ensure compatibility with new modes coming on board as well as deployment of an Intelligent Transport System to aid integration. This would include deploying integrated fare and ticketing system, information and communication system and coordinated service timetables.
The Commissioner highlighted the recommendations of the Master plan which includes; 6 rail lines, 1 monorail line, 14 BRT routes, Over 20 water transport routes and the development of cycle lane network with pedestrian ways to improve the flow of movement in the City.
He explained that the Strategy will solve economic objectives by reducing mobility delays, improving journey time reliability for businesses as well as Social and Environmental objectives through reduction in traffic congestion, and also prioritizing those means of travel that are less damaging to the natural environment.
Dr. Frederic Oladeinde also assured that the State Government is committed to improving the lives of it citizenry and the nation by ensuring productivity in the Economic Sector which in turn will rank the City among the foremost on the global stage.