ýMore than 860 traffic incidents and 17 deaths were recorded on the Lagos-Calabar Coastal Road between January and October this year, while the Otedola Bridge corridor logged 365 incidents and 15 fatalities over the same period, the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), disclosed.
ýOlalekan Bakare-Oki, general manager of the authority, disclosed the figures on Thursday during a media briefing organised by the Lagos State Ministry of Transportation in Lagos, raising fresh concerns over road safety along major transport arteries facing heavy vehicular pressure.
ýBakare-Oki said that the high casualty figures reinforced the urgent need for stronger safety advocacy, improved emergency response, and more effective traffic management across the state.
ýHe explained that the agency had expanded its operational focus beyond conventional traffic control to encompass public engagement and rapid incident response on state roads.
ý’Over the years, LASTMA has been able to evolve from a mere traffic control organisation into a sophisticated institution that has focused on road safety, citizens’ engagement, and quick response to traffic incidents on Lagos roads,’ Bakare-Oki said.
ýHe noted that Lagos faced persistent mobility challenges due to its compact landmass and intense vehicular concentration, which placed immense strain on existing transport infrastructure.
ýLagos occupies approximately 0.4 percent of Nigeria’s total landmass but accounts for one of the highest concentrations of vehicles in West Africa, creating a persistent imbalance between available road capacity and traffic volume.
ý’Our core responsibility is to ensure seamless mobility despite this limitation. Our concentration has been on the major crossing points, especially to reduce the damage on these roads,’ Bakare-Oki said.
ýHe revealed that the agency was collaborating with federal authorities to investigate the underlying causes of road deterioration and traffic accidents along the Otedola Bridge-Kara axis. A joint inspection team led by the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos and the Lagos State Commissioner for Transportation recently examined the corridor to evaluate structural and operational vulnerabilities.
ýBakare-Oki added that technical assessments would extend beyond Otedola Bridge to encompass other high-density transport links requiring targeted interventions.
ýMeanwhile, LASTMA is expanding operational readiness ahead of the December festive period, during which heightened commercial activity, leisure travel, and tourism historically increase gridlock across the metropolis.
ýBakare-Oki said the agency would deploy more than 2,000 personnel to high-density hubs, including Victoria Island, Lekki-Ajah, Surulere, and Ikeja, to maintain traffic flow and curb congestion. Heavy-duty recovery vehicles will also be pre-positioned at strategic locations to expedite the clearance of broken-down vehicles and reduce crash response times.
ýThe agency will also introduce a 24-hour operational shift system, deploying personnel on overnight duties from 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. to manage late-night traffic.
ý’For Detty December proper, LASTMA has put in place robust traffic management. We have done it before; it is not new to us. But what we are bringing in this time is to step up our traffic management,’ Bakare-Oki said.