As the Lagos State Government is putting plans together to restrict the movement of trucks and trailers from the hours of 9pm to 6am, trucking and mainly maritime stakeholders are kicking against the move, saying it will further frustrate port operations.
Recall that the State Commissioner for Transport, Frederic Oladeinde, had in a meeting with stakeholders on Wednesday, said the move was geared towards curbing road crashes in the state.
The meeting consisted of stakeholders from the National Union of Road Transport Workers, Road Transport Employees Association of Nigeria, Lagos State Traffic Management Authority, Nigerian Ports Authority, Vehicle Inspection Service, Committee of Maritime Truck Unions and Associations amongst others. Oladeinde said, “This is part of the continuous efforts of the present administration to curb the consistent road crashes attributed to the activities/operations of trucks/trailers on our roads which leads to loss of lives and property.” Drawing on a study carried out by the state, the commissioner disclosed that an average of 5766 vehicles get into Lagos while 5831 move out of Lagos on daily basis. He explained that it was essential that the trucks were restricted to certain routes in Lagos. He said, “Containerised trailers can no longer travel during the day. It has to be within the ambit of 9pm and 6am. We will also be enforcing the capacity limit of 45,000 litres to tankers.
