The administration of Gov. Babajide Sanwo-Olu has in the past one year taken ground-breaking initiatives towards transforming Lagos State into a smart city that is safe, secure, functional and productive.
This was disclosed by the Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederic Oladeinde, at the 2020 Ministerial Press Briefing in commemoration of the governor’s one year in office at Alausa, Ikeja.
The commissioner declared that the administration’s commitment to public transportation is anchored on an integrated transportation system to harness the value chain in the transport sector.
Oladeinde said the blue line and red line rail projects remain the flagship transport development of the administration. He explained that the first phase of the red line, from Alagbado to Oyingbo, and the section of the blue line from Marina to Mile 2 would commence passenger operation by the second quarter of the year 2022.
The commissioner stated that the state was evaluating bids for four other rail lines recently advertised for the expression of interest, which will highlight proposed designs, building technicalities, maintenance and transfer arrangement.
The four lines are: 68-kilometre green line from Marina to Lekki Free Zone; 60 kilometre purple line from Redemption Camp to Ojo; 34 kilometre yellow line from Otta to National Theatre; and the 48 kilometre orange line from Ikeja to Agbowa.
Oladeinde added that15 brand new vehicles, 30 motorbikes, 10 drones were handed over to the traffic enforcement teams, which helped to reduce traffic congestion and improve safety on the roads.
He further disclosed that, the addition of 1,000 trained officers deployed into active service of the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, and the extension of their closing time from 7.00pm to 11.00pm, as well as the 100 per cent increment of their hazard allowance enhanced the traffic management capacity.
Oladeinde described the commencement of the cashless tolling policy at the Lekki/Ikoyi Link Bridge as an initiative that has drastically helped in reducing traffic queue length experienced on the corridor.
The commissioner also disclosed that the administration has improved in the public transit system through the deployment of additional 165 buses to LBSL increasing their fleet to 215 buses at present which have been commuting more than 80,000 passengers daily.
Furthermore, he affirmed that the acquisition of eight new boats for the Lagos State Ferry Services (LAGFERRY) to support the existing six in operation, has significantly improved the capacity of water transportation in the state.
This is because LAGFERRY now commutes an average of 800 passengers per day on all the designated routes, while the Badore-Ajah Ferry Terminal in Eti-Osa Local Government has been activated to full operation.