The full package of the new Lagos Road Traffic Law

The full package of the new Lagos Road Traffic Law

While attending a World Bank Urban Transport event in Lagos last year, I got into a discussion with a chietain of a key public transport organisation in Lagos. The issue was the abuse of the dedicated BRT lanes by certain groups of motorists. These were known to be military and police officers in official or private vehicles and commercial 'Danfo' drivers who had been consigned to operate in the service lanes following the advent of BRT in Lagos. Having expressed our mutual angst at the negative impact of the illegal use of the lanes, attention focused on the 'Danfo' commercila bus operators. The emphasis was on the seeming inability of legal process to regulate their misconduct.

In particular, the use of violence on officials of the traffic enforcement agency, LASTMA by thugs of the Danfo operators posed significant operational and  security and safety risks. Often this led to unmanageable traffic gridlock as well as damage to vehicles and infrastruture. Loss of life and serious injury of enforcement officials was a source of low morale and eventually fed corruption in the system.

As the chieftain seemed to throw up his hands in frustration at the messy nexus of confusion, I suggested that the key issue for managing the infirngement of the BRT lanes was traceability of the offenders. He was not convinced but I insisted that a way had to be found to link the drivers and conductors using the BRT lanes illegally with their respective patrons. I said it was a known fact the buses were owned by people who belonged to a local branch of the NARTO - National Association of Road Transport Operators, and a way had to be found to attach the conduct of their employees to their commercial activites as bus owners.

I did not feel that the chieftain was persuaded. I also suggsested that, alonmg with this engagement with the NARTO owners, the enforcers should provide a facility for effecting traceability by using recorded footage of abusers to challenge the owners to apply pressure on their drivers and condcutors. I said this could be done by mobile CCTV units at strategic parts of the BRT lane. THis footage could be used on the regulator-sponsored outreach TV programme to show that abusers were no longer anonymous. To my alarm, the chieftain laughed, saying that I would be surprised that such footage on TV may be worn by the Danfo abusers as a badge of honour!
I was left in no doubt that the proble of enforcing segregation of the BRT lane as well as other public transport regulations -such as driving against traffic- remained a major plank of the strategy of the chieftain's organisation.
Thankfully, the Lagos state government has decided to tackle the menace of disjointed public transport enforcement with a clear intention - put a big cost at the actions of illegal behaviours.
This new law will achieve that provided the human and technical resources needed to maintain a high level of positive outcomes are provided. And for a start, concessioning of some of the enforcement roles is a first step.