TO protect motorists and pedestrians, modern cities install monitors to curb speeding by motorists. Lagos recently joined the modern train with such monitors with the unveiling of new intelligent transport sites to monitor traffic and speed violations. Speeding is one of the major killers on the road. So, setting up speed limits and enforcing them is for the public good.
Research by the Danne Institute estimated traffic congestion in Lagos to cost the city around N10.39 trillion ($22.48 billion) in lost GDP annually. This is staggering.
The Commissioner for Transportation, Oluwaseun Osiyemi, said the move was in collaboration with Huawei Technologies.
He said, “The checkpoint sites are designed to detect speeding. One is located at Alapere, Ogudu Road, with a speed limit of 80km/h, while the other is installed at NITEL, Mobolaji Bank Anthony Way, with a speed limit of 60km/h. These checkpoint sites are strategically located to detect and deter speeding, which remains one of the leading causes of road accidents.”
The new installations will work alongside the existing Automatic Number Plate Recognition cameras and Traffic Management Solution devices.
Lagos has operated the ANPR cameras to apprehend motorists with expired vehicle papers before the introduction of speed monitors. The state makes motorists caught pay hefty fines for expired papers.
However, many motorists affected have objected that information about the presence of the cameras was not adequately disseminated before enforcement started
Critics argue that the focus is on generating revenue rather than ensuring that vehicles approved by government agencies are roadworthy.
There have been complaints by motorists of traffic lights installed in hidden places and motorists being extorted by rogue traffic wardens who capitalise on such hidden traffic lights, instead of drawing motorists’ attention to them.
Therefore, the government should erect adequate signboards in places that have speed limit to inform motorists without any complaints of being blindsided.
The focus should be on saving lives rather than setting traps for motorists to pay hefty fines.
Besides enforcing traffic regulations, the Lagos government should be focused on putting the major roads in motorable conditions and repairing damaged portions. The total road network in Lagos is estimated at 5,180 kilometres, consisting of 2,743km (53.0 per cent) for the state, 1,846km (35.6 per cent) for the 20 LGAs and 591km (11.4 per cent) for the federal.
The government must improve security. There have been cases of motorists being mugged at traffic light points, especially at night and early in the morning. So, the fear of being attacked has often made some motorists speed during these delicate periods.
Security should be beefed up in such a way that there would not be speeding by motorists, and more security cameras should be installed at major points in the city to deter crime.
More state-of-the-art technologies like drones should be used to monitor the security situation in the city. This will aid the Lagos State Traffic Management Authority officers in their job.
The old style of using Federal Road Safety Corps personnel to monitor speed limits on the highways has not worked, and the Federal Government needs to move away from that to artificial intelligence-driven solutions like Lagos has done.
Unfortunately, violation of speed limits through reckless driving has been fingered as the number one cause of accidents on major highways. Thus, AI-led monitoring that will deter motorists from constituting a danger to themselves and other road users is needed on the highways.
In all cases, the focus should be on saving lives rather than making money.
The Federal Government should speed up work on the completion of ongoing road projects like the Lagos-Ibadan Expressway.
All federal roads should be equipped with streetlights, speed monitors, security cameras and other necessary equipment to save lives.
