Dare Babalola
The Lagos State Parking Authority (LASPA) has held a sensitisation programme to educate residents on proper parking culture and promote a free traffic road.
The agency, on Thursday, organised stakeholder’s engagement with various Community Development Associations (CDAs) and Community Development Committees (CDCs) in the state.
The engagement was carried out during the Ministry of Local Government, Chieftaincy Affairs and Rural Development’s monthly meeting with CDCs and CDAs at its T-Block, Conference room in the Secretariat, Alausa.
The General Manager, Lagos State Parking Authority, Adebisi Adelabu, speaking at the event facilitated by Kikelomo Bolarinwa, the Permanent Secretary the ministry, reiterates the commitment of the agency to ensure that road users comply with the parking and traffic rules in Lagos.
Adelabu added that Parking and Traffic Management are two interconnected systems adding that a functional traffic management plan must include a comprehensive parking strategy.
She revealed that the State Government, in a bid to ensure a coordinated, multi-agency approach to urban mobility, set up a Transport Advisory Board comprising key ministries such as Physical Planning, Environment, Transportation, Special Duties, and the Command and Control.
She informed that the State Parking Authority would be commencing On-Street Parking regulations adding that the first phase is to kick off with Ikeja, Surulere, Ikoyi, Victoria Island, and parts of Lekki.
Mrs. Adelabu called on the CDAs and CDCs leaders to collaborate with the Agency by sensitizing members of their communities on the state parking regulations in order to ensure a sustainable urban transport environment.
She enumerated some of the reasons for traffic congestion in the state to include building of commercial and residential premises of multiple flats with inadequate parking space provisions, which makes their clients and residents to park on the streets and obstruct free flow of traffic.
She therefore urged members of the various CDAs and CDCs to collaborate with LASPA in the actualization of its mandate to rid the state of all forms of traffic congestions by sensitizing members of their community to imbibe a proper parking culture.
Some of the concerns raised by the stakeholders include; the need for government to ensure that property developers make provisions for adequate parking in their designs, tackle the menace of trailer drivers parking on the roads along Ibeju Lekki resulting traffic grid-lock and monitor the activities in residential areas with lots of commercial activities and no proper parking arrangement.
Responding, the General Manager of the State Parking Authority, promised to look into the issues by contacting relevant authorities adding that LASPA is resolute in the actualization of its mandate for a proper parking culture.
