The Lagos State Government has inaugurated the Live Report Motorcycles to give residents on-the-spot reporting of traffic situations around the state.
The Lagos State Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Mr Gbenga Omotosho, during the unveiling of the motorcycles at Ikeja, commended the Lagos Traffic Radio, the agency behind the initiative.
He remarked that the pilot scheme was a key step towards using technology to revolutionise the management of traffic in the state.
According to him, the fact that information is necessary to efficiently commute in the state without being stranded, speaks to the significance of the scheme.
Omotosho said it was a fact that information was necessary to efficiently commute in the State without being stranded, speaks to the significance of the scheme.
In his words: “If you look at the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda of the Babajide Sanwo-Olu administration, transportation is a very big pillar and in fact the very first one, and because it is the very first one, we are not joking about it.
“We are looking forward to the day that we are going to be reporting from the skies. I am also looking forward to the day that everything that we do about Transportation is driven by technology.
“It high time we got this kind of thing all over Lagos; the drone monitoring traffic and everything. All I want to assure you is that that first pillar of the T.H.E.M.E.S Agenda is so important that whatever idea anyone body brings that can ease transportation in Lagos and make us look forward like all other big cities in the world, Mr. Governor is ready to accept such ideas.”
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In his opening address, Tayo Akanle, General Manager, Lagos Traffic Radio, said the initiative was borne out of the occurrence of incidents on highways coupled with little or no comprehensive live reports.
He said the pilot scheme was designed to change the travel experience of commuters as they usually under-go harrowing experiences whenever there was a major incident on the road.
Akanle stated that the development would aid on-the-spot report of traffic situation in the State, saying that professional, comprehensive, real time and accurate information would be shared through the radio station and social media platform of the Agency.
According to him, the motorcycles would aid the station’s operations by allowing it to arrive timely at the particular incident spots towards providing on-the-spot live and accurate reports that would assist commuters make informed decisions, especially knowing the root cause of the traffic gridlock they were experiencing at that particular time.
He said the reports disseminated would now be more professional, comprehensive, real time and accurate, as it would be handled by trained journalists from the Station, adding that the information would now be shared through the airwaves and on social media platforms for a wider reach.
“You will all agree with me that the speed and manoeuvring ability of these motorcycles would be apt for this operation, just as it is a clear departure from the past where our reporters arrive late at these incident spots thereby hindering the provision of live and accurate reports for commuters,” he said.
The General Manager said the live reports at the incident spot would serve as a major boost to the delivery of information on traffic flow, while providing available alternate routes that would reduce convergence of vehicles leading to gridlock situation on highways.
He added that it could also be used as a veritable database for future projections on traffic management and transportation systems design for the State.
