The Lagos State Traffic Management Authority (LASTMA) on Thursday urged motorists to voluntarily comply with the relevant traffic laws operating in the State, vowing to deal decisively with violators in accordance with the law.
LASTMA’s General Manager, Mr Olawale Musa, who stated this after meeting with the Zonal Heads and Commanders at the agency’s headquarters in Oshodi, said the agency was appalled with recent action of some motorists who had formed the habit of flouting traffic laws and disregarding directives of traffic personnel on the roads.
According to him, such road indiscipline and lawlessness were capable of returning chaos and disorderliness to the roads, warning that LASTMA would not condone it and any motorist caught would be dealt with accordingly.
He said the agency had been inundated with calls and complaints from spirited members of the public to act decisively on violators of traffic laws, but that it was not uncommon to see motorists disregarding traffic lights, zebra signs and repairing faulty vehicles on main carriage ways.
Musa assured members of the public that LASTMA had heeded their calls, and sanity would be maintained, as the agency would not allow a few disgruntled motorists to truncate the existing sanity, safety, peace and orderliness being enjoyed on the roads by commuters and members of the public.
He said contrary to opinions being peddled in some quarters, LASTMA has never relented or relaxed in performing its statutory responsibilities, but only observed a re-engineering process that gave birth to the new approach to traffic law enforcement in Lagos State.
“With this rebirth, traffic officials are now to function on the principles of civility, respect for motorists’ rights, officers’ discipline and zero tolerance for corruption,” Musa said.
He regretted that despite various efforts to manage and enforce traffic laws in line with the best global practices, many motorists are flouting the laws.
Musa said while the agency will intensify enforcement, traffic officials have been instructed to operate within the ambit of laws, and be humane in dealing with motorists.
He, therefore, urged motorists to imbibe and demonstrate the culture of voluntary compliance with traffic laws on the road.
The agency has also commenced imposing strict sanctions on recalcitrant drivers especially in Ojodu Berger and other parts of the state who have converted the newly constructed lay-bys into motor parks.