By Dabira Aderibigbe
The Lagos State Government has reiterated that a structured parking system is crucial to effective and efficient traffic management in a city state like Lagos.
The Permanent Secretary, Ministry of Transportation, Engr. Abdulhafiz Toriola disclosed this at the weekend, when he paid a working visit to the Lagos State Parking Authority (LASPA), at GRA Ikeja. He said the Ministry will synergize with the agency and other relevant agencies to improve traffic management and transportation in the state.
Toriola added that an effective parking system is one of the sustainable urban mobility principles to improve traffic, noted that the sight of a road full of vehicles trying to find a parking space, worsen traffic by slowing down movement, hence the State Government commitment to a well-structured parking system.
The Permanent Secretary reiterated the need for an improved parking culture by residents and event centre operators alike whose activities contribute to traffic congestion. He added that Road Safety Audit and Traffic Studies often reveal that operators of event centers do not comply with the approved numbers of vehicles their facilities can accommodate which is the reason why they extend to the roads.
Welcoming the Permanent Secretary, the General Manager of LASPA Mrs. Adebisi Adelabu solicited the support of the Ministry in achieving its mandate. She said the Agency is working to integrate all the 57 Local Governments (LGs) and Local Council Development Areas (LCDAs) in the state into a unified platform for the purpose of achieving a structured parking system.
She reiterated that the statutory responsibility of the Agency is to set up and operate a more efficient parking system, saying the Agency is embarking on a sensitization drive to enlighten and educate the public about its activities through various means of communication.
The LASPA General Manager further revealed that the vision of the State Government is to decongest Lagos roads by regulating all forms of parking, register existing private and public parks into a well-designed and coordinated parking system.