The Lagos State Government said on Sunday it would embark on full enforcement of 2012 Lagos Traffic Law which restricted the operations of motorcycle and tricycle operators in order to restore sanity in the state.
The state Commissioner for Information and Strategy, Gbenga Omotosho, who disclosed this at a press briefing in Alausa, said over 1,500 accidents involving tricycles and motorcycles were reported from 2015 till 2019 in the state with 689 victims confirmed dead and over 250 injured in the accidents.
He said the measure had become necessary following flagrant abuse of the laws by motorcycle and tricycle riders, adding that the menace “can no longer be condoned.”
Omotosho said: “The violation of traffic laws by commercial motorcyclists is unacceptable, thereby necessitating the enforcement of the state Traffic Law 2018 to pave the way for the implementation of the present administration’s transportation project.
“The alarming negative statistics resulting from motorcycle accidents and the compelling need to enhance safety led to the introduction of the Lagos State Road Traffic Law 2012, which was reviewed in 2018.
“The law among others, makes the use of safety helmets by riders and passengers of motorcycles compulsory, obedience of traffic lights and signage mandatory and the conveyance of more than a passenger, expectant women, adults with babies, as well as children of school age forbidden. Their operations were restricted on 475 roads, including highways and bridges.”
While giving breakdown of statistics from the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA), Omotoso, said “at least 619 people were killed or seriously injured in motorcycle accidents within 2015 and 2016.
“A police report released during the same period also indicated that of the 30 armed robbery cases recorded between July and September, commercial motorcycle riders perpetrated 22 while over 200 cases of motorcycle accidents have been recorded monthly at health facilities across the state in the last three years.
“We cannot fold our arms and watch them disrupt the peace of the state. Over 1500 accidents involving tricycles, were reported across the state from 2015 till 2019, while over 70 people died and 250 injured.”
