The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has announced the impending introduction of Traffic Management Solution (TMS) – an innovative and technologically advanced way to support its operations in the state with little or no direct contact with the road officials.
Preparatory to a formal deployment of TMS, the organisation has embarked on the pilot phase of the project which also involves the sensitisation of the motoring public.
This was disclosed by the Comptroller of LASTMA, Isaac Adetimiro, at a press interaction in Lagos where an overview of the solution was presented; starting with a demonstration of real time capture of picture and video evidence of traffic violations as they occur, by LASTMA officials using hand-held devices.
All captured violations are reviewed at a processing centre to ensure that they are valid offences and thereafter saved in secure data servers for future reference and recall. Electronic notifications are immediately sent to the listed telephone numbers for each violation to notify the offenders of their pending processed violations and a link to enable them view the stored video and picture evidence of the violations.
Adetimiro explained that several other methods exist for the public to receive notifications or to check for any processed violations against their vehicles. These include a freely downloadable mobile TMS app available on Google Play store, a Lagos state government website as well as the use of SMS short codes which respond with violation status of the vehicle number used.
Alleged offenders would also be issued a physical notification ticket, when their vehicles are located anywhere within the state. He went on to explain that every alleged offender has the right to challenge any notified violation in a traffic court, or waive such right and make payment of stipulated fines immediately, or within 48hours of issuance of a physical notification ticket.
Where offenders opt to make payment of the stipulated violation fines, it can be made via the available payment options, namely online via the website, the TMS mobile app, and others.
The LASTMA Comptroller said a pointer to the organisation’s commitment to ensuring the professional conduct of its staff and faster response to traffic situations and potential traffic causes, is the “Eye Witness” feature of the Mobile App. This allows the public to report officers’ misconduct, bad roads, broken down vehicles, faulty traffic lights, faded road markings and any other situation that may impede free traffic flow.
He further stated that TMS would reduce the need for LASTMA officers to interact with motorists or stop any violating vehicles on the spot, which often escalates situations with the offenders, endangers the lives of the LASTMA officers, as well as compounds the traffic situation when such engagements are done on the roads.
He further stated that the ongoing pilot phase of the solution is aimed at up-skilling the traffic officers, and sensitising the public, even as he assured that offenders would not be fined. All tickets issued during the trial phase would carry a zero naira fine value.