The Corps Marshal of the Federal Road Safety Corps (FRSC), Mr Dauda Biu has expressed concern over recurring container crashes on Ojuelegba bridge in Lagos and called for the mounting of barricades to stop articulated vehicles from using the bridge.
Biu said this in a statement issued by the Federal Road Safety Corps Public Education Officer, Mr Bisi Kazeem on Sunday in Abuja.
However, the FRSC boss was not categorical in his call on which tier of government he was referring to.
The Ojuelegba overhead bridge, which is in the centre of Lagos, is on Western avenue, which is a Federal Road.
Biu was reacting to the fatal crashes that occurred at Ojuelegba Bridge in Lagos in which nine people died and another that claimed 11 lives at Soka bridge on Lagos-Benin Highway.
He said that the construction of the barricades would provide a permanent solution to the recurring crashes.
Biu also called for the expansion of connecting roads under the Ojuelegba bridge to accommodate articulated vehicles.
He revealed that FRSC rescue teams in collaboration with other emergency agencies had cleared obstructions from the two crash scenes for ease of movement.
Biu added that the driver of the truck that caused the Ojuelegba accident was arrested and handed over to the police, while efforts were on to arrest the driver that caused the Soka bridge crash.
The corps marshal reiterated the need for the enforcement of laws that would bring justice to victims of traffic crashes.
“Efforts should be made to activate them so that justice will be served accordingly to both the drivers and the victims,” he added.
The Corps m
Marshal cautioned commuters against route violations and driving against prescribed legal speed limits.
He urged the public to call the FRSC toll-free line 122 and National Traffic Radio 107.1 FM to report any traffic emergency.
Checks by Transport Day shows that commercial bus operators have turned the road under the bridge to motor park, as they park their vehicles indiscriminately on the road, forcing motorists into one lane, and making it very difficult for articulated vehicles to ply.
Aside the fact that it is faster to use the bridge, drivers of articated vehicles also avoid taking under the bridge in order to avoid hoodlums who use force to extort them.
Ojuelegba, just like make bus stops in Lagos, is known as a haven for notorious Street urchins who feast on innocent commercial drivers.
