Lagos, Nigeria – Counter-productive Traffic Measures on Lagos BRT?

Pedestrian fatality on Africa’s roads and other trespass deaths on rail and water services contribute to the high rate of deaths on the fledgling transport infrastructure. In the case of road and rail, there is usually poor segregation of motorised and non-motorised traffic. There are issues of social and historical dimensions responsible for this lack of segregation and they continue to pose a huge challenge to transport planners in developing countries.

Part of the problem is also economic because street trading and itinerant traders and artisans use the transport corridor as a place to pursue their business. Additionally, planners have often been weak or connived in the abuse of traffic management regulations.  In most areas, the transport corridor is prone to encroachment and outright conversion to non-traffic uses. This has been true of all modes of transport including rail and water which by nature ought to be protected from such abuse.

Transport planners have sought to apply many balms while seeking long-term, more enduring solutions. One such solution is based on engagement with stakeholder groups such as market associations and community groups including, where present, traditional rulers and chiefs. Often, such measures serve only to cement vested interests and create a platform for key groups to hold the government to ransom through periodic planned disruption.

Nevertheless, the needless recurrence of pedestrian deaths has led to options in the design and management of the transport corridors to achieve a degree of segregation.

One such common initiative is to build pedestrian bridges over busy carriageways to prevent pedestrians crossing through very fast road traffic. This has been used in Lagos, Nigeria where communities have been split in two after a new highway is built. Compliance is arguable because many people still choose to cross the road rather than use the footbridge.

Since the advent of LAMATAwww.lamata-ng.com, a more robust approach has been applied to managing the traffic corridors in its jurisdiction.  A recent look at the way pedestrians are required to use BRT bus stops in Lagos suggests that LAMATA is encouraging pedestrians to walk the walk of death. The following presentation illustrates the above observation. Judge for yourself and let me know your views.

This series of pictures were taken at Maryland Bus-Stop on the north-bound Lagos BRT route towards Ojota.

Pic 1. 4pm 25 August 2011, Maryland Bus Stop on Ikorodu Road southbound – LASTMA officials on duty in the median for the afternoon peak traffic

 

Pic 2. Across the road is Northbound BRT Maryland Bus Stop with a bus about to stop and release passengers. Please note the Zebra Crossing in the service lane of southbound Ikorodu Road

Pic 3. Northbound BRT bus has released passengers. They now cross the BRT lane into the merge lane right into the main carriageway of Northbound Ikorodu Road

Pic 4. A LASTMA official is monitoring traffic in service lane. Passengers are in the median and looking frantically at traffic to make the dash across the main southbound carriageway

Pic 5. Passengers have spotted a gap and make a dash across the southbound carriageway. Watch the man in white.  The commercial motorcyclist in green helmet waits for a fare

Pic 6. The man in white has crossed but has not used the Zebra Crossing…

Pic 7. Doesn’t seem as if any of the pedestrians is crossing the Zebra…

Observations:

1.       It appears that the majority of the passengers getting off the northbound BRT Bus Stop are going to the community across the road. This also appears to be the case for the cars and buses as most are actually turning right into the side road. If that is the case, a safer crossing ought to be considered.

2.       The Zebra Crossing is not very useful. From my observations, the crossing is too close to the right-turn junction ahead and therefore it seems impractical to require cars not to drive and stay on it for pedestrians to cross from the other side. The crossing is also dangerous as it encourages pedestrians to cross a fast carriageway to get to the other side.

3.       Pedestrians are actually crossing into the path of southbound BRT buses that are reputed for their speed and high frequency

Options:                                                                                                                        

1.       Build a footbridge - [money is scarce]

2.       Block the median with a physical barrier

3.       Direct pedestrians to use the crossing at Maryland Mobil Petrol station to get to the other side. I am not an engineer and my views may be considered   simplistic but at least the last two options will indicate to users that what they are doing is unsafe. At the moment, the traffic managers seem to be encouraging a daily dance with death.