LASTMA targets transport unions in fresh push for voluntary traffic compliance

By Imisioluwa Afunmiso

The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) has intensified its traffic advocacy campaign by engaging transportation unions across the Ikeja axis of Lagos, seeking to reduce traffic violations through voluntary compliance rather than enforcement alone.

The engagement, which brought LASTMA officials face-to-face with leaders and members of various transport unions, focused on responsible driving, proper loading and off-loading, lawful parking and other practices necessary for maintaining free traffic flow and road safety.

The agency also warned commercial drivers against indiscriminate parking, illegal U-turns, obstruction of traffic lanes, reckless overtaking, picking up passengers at unauthorised locations and driving against traffic.

Speaking during the engagement, LASTMA General Manager, Mr. Olalekan Bakare-Oki, said sustainable traffic management could not be achieved through enforcement alone, stressing the need for continuous enlightenment and collaboration with transport stakeholders.

Bakare-Oki described transport unions as strategic partners capable of influencing the conduct of their members and helping to promote traffic discipline across Lagos.

“Our objective is not merely to enforce compliance but to cultivate understanding, responsibility and voluntary adherence to the law,” he said.

He urged union leaders to institutionalise regular sensitisation programmes for their members and ensure that drivers understand both the consequences of traffic violations and their impact on other road users.

The engagement also provided an opportunity for union leaders to raise operational challenges confronting their members, while LASTMA officials clarified traffic regulations, enforcement procedures and channels for resolving traffic-related concerns.

The agency appealed to transport operators and other road users to see traffic regulations as measures designed to protect lives, prevent avoidable crashes and ensure the smooth movement of people and goods across Lagos.