My_Role,_Your_Role_in_Unlocking_Traffic_Gridlock_in_Lagos_State

My role, your role in unlocking traffic gridlock in Lagos state Lagos has strict traffic regulations but the impunity with which it is flouted is legendary. The picture at Boundary, Ajegunle, a suburb of the city on any typical day tells the story; impatient commercial drivers racing against traffic on a one way lane; commercial motorcyclists and tricycle operators who carry more than the stipulated number of passengers competing with the bus drivers for right of way; and a throng of human traffic wading perilously amidst the bedlam. From their vantage position in the middle of the intersection, a handful of traffic police officers look helplessly at the anarchy. Boundary is just one of the myriad spots in the city renowned for their traffic congestion and unruly driver behavior, especially during the evening rush hours. As the state government struggles to churn out policies expedient for a mega city, effective traffic management has always been a recurring problem. During the 1st Lagos Traffic Management Conference tagged, ‘Unlocking the Gridlock: Keep Lagos Moving with Pride,' organized by the Ministry of Transportation in March this year; Hirsh Moshe, a former Minister of Transportation in Israel, disclosed that residents in the state lose three billion hours to traffic congestion annually. According to him, that time, if reduced by 20 per cent, would save the state at least ₦150 billion every year. "We have issues like low capacity at intersections, traffic signals which are not efficient enough, illegal parking, encroachment activities like bus parks and trailers. We also have non-recurrent events like traffic accidents, road works, bad weather and driver behaviour," said Mr Moshe, who carried out a study on the perennial traffic situation in Lagos. To nip the chaotic traffic situation within the metropolis in the bud, the state government established the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) in July 2000 to regulate, control, and manage traffic operations in the state. Some city residents, however, argue that though the traffic police succeeded in instilling a level of sanity in Lagos drivers during its first decade of operation, its mode of operation leaves much to be desired. "In terms of enforcement at all cost, LASTMA is doing so well, but the issue is, are the personnel trained to interact with the civil populace' And what you discover is that most of the LASTMA men on the roads are predatory," said Gbenga Adesanya, an Environmental Accountant and Consultant on Sustainable Development. "When it comes to enforcement, when somebody defaults, assuming everybody that LASTMA officials arrest, defaults; is there any judicial mechanism to ensure fair play and fair hearing' As against what we have now, where no matter what happens, no matter how right you think you are, once they pounce on you, you are going in for it," said Mr Adesanya. DB Schenker does not wish to make money out of road tolls and does not intend to increase transportation prices already agreed in connection with the introduction of road tolls - not even secretly! It is only a matter of passing on 1:1 the road tolls levied by the State and the secondary costs incurred as a result. We don't want any more than that - but we don't want any less either. The tables as in the attachment developed by the leading industrial and technical associations and based on official, comprehensive calculations are used by DB Schenker for IT-compatible calculation and charging. Bases of the road toll calculation The basis of the calculation is a figure from experience which defines the average capacity utilization of a bulk goods road train as 8 tons, taking into account all seasonal fluctuations over the whole year and over all transportation conditions and for any location in Germany. Calculations for part loads or loads over 3,000 kg are performed on the basis of an average capacity utilization of 12 tons. • In regular bulk goods transportation it is not practical to calculate the road toll recharge to the nearest kilometer for each customer. The distances in the DB Schenker road toll charges table are grouped in 100-kilometer units. The calculation always assumes the median value for the distance and the weight (e.g. 101 kilometers and 200 kilometers correspond to 150 kilometers). The effect of differences is reduced by the size of the widths of the classes of the distance bands. • Moreover, the shortest distance between the loading and unloading places is always assumed to determine the transportation charge. This is irrespective of the location of the dispatching or receiving carrier's transshipment sites. • The risk regarding capacity utilization on the main run is borne by DB Schenker. Highway and Road Maintenance - Highway Maintenance is a division of the Transportation Bureau. The division is responsible for approximately 450 miles of roadway. The total highway workforce consists of 32 employees which includes supervisors, office personnel and field personnel. The functions of the division are shown to the left. The Highway Maintenance building is located 3/4 mile north on Stafford Road off of MD 231 in Prince Frederick. The hours of operation are from 7:30 am to 4:00 pm, Monday through Friday. To send correspondence, the address is: Department of Public Works Highway Maintenance Division Courthouse, 175 Main Street Prince Frederick, Maryland 20678 The supervisor staff consists of the following contact personnel: • Mark Willis, Bureau (410) 535-0905 • Ralph Hutchins, Highway Maintenance Supervisor (410) 535-0906 • Chris Harley, Highway Maintenance Supervisor (410) 535-0906 If all this is put into practice, Lagos state will be a beneficial state for us. thank you.