The Lagos State Government has said it would embark on full enforcement of the 2012 Lagos Traffic Law which restricted the activities of motorcycle and tricycle operators in order to restore sanity in the state.
The government said the measure has become necessary following flagrant abuse of the laws by motorcycle and tricycle riders in the state.
The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Alausa, on Sunday, said over 1,500 accidents which involved tricycle and motorcycle operators were reported from 2015 till 2019 in the state with 689 persons confirmed dead and 250 others injured.
Omotosho said:
“The violation of traffic laws by commercial motorcyclists is unacceptable, thereby necessitating the enforcement of the state Traffic Law 2018 to pave the way for the implementation of the present administration’s transportation project.
“The alarming negative statistics resulting from motorcycle accidents and the compelling need to enhance safety led to the introduction of the Lagos State Road Traffic Law 2012, which was reviewed in 2018.
“The law among others makes the use of safety helmets by riders and passengers of motorcycles compulsory, the obedience of traffic lights and signage mandatory and the conveyance of more than a passenger, expectant women, adults with babies, as well as children of school age forbidden. Their operations were restricted on 475 roads, including highways and bridges.”
While giving a breakdown of statistics from the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Omotoso, said “at least 619 people were killed or seriously injured in motorcycle accidents within 2015 and 2016.
“A police report released during the same period also indicated that of the 30 armed robbery cases recorded between July and September, commercial motorcycle riders perpetrated 22 while over 200 cases of motorcycle accidents have been recorded monthly at health facilities across the state in the last three years.
“We cannot fold our arms and watch them disrupt the peace of the state. Over 1500 accidents involving tricycles, were reported across the state from 2015 till 2019, while over 70 people died and 250 injured.
“30 robbery cases involving motorcycles were reported in 2019, out of which 20 were foiled by the police, who arrested 25 suspects and recovered 48 arms and ammunition.”
