LASG to phase out yellow buses
The Lagos state government says it plans to phase out yellow buses in accordance with it’s transportation masterplan of the state.
Commissioner for Transportation, Dr. Frederick Oladeinde, said this in a virtual forum on Thursday, adding that the buses would be replaced by blue buses.
The virtual forum was titled, “Transport and traffic conference”.
He said, “We are reforming the bus sector and over time, Lagos will phase out the yellow buses because the yellow buses are not conducive for a mega city like Lagos. That is why we are coming with blue buses you see around.
“We are inviting the private sector to participate in the provision of public transport services. We are also deploying technology, just to ensure that we can up our game in terms of efficiency”.
Regarding the Apapa gridlock, the commissioner said the government was committed to ending the traffic menace by committing hectares of land in Iganmu and Ogun as transit truck park while relying on the Eto App which would be deployed on February 27.
He said, “Lagos state, in collaboration with the Nigerian Ports Authority invited a concessionaire and the concessionaire developed an Eto App that will be deployed February 27.
“Lagos state has committed 31 hectares of land in Iganmu called the Bola Ahmed Tinubu Truck Park to compliment what is at Lilypond and we are talking to Ogun state government to secure a land in Ogere”.
Similarly Oladeinde said, the state had come up with a parking strategy named the Lagos State Parking Strategy. He disclosed that a parking authority had been set up with the mandate to regulate parking on the road.
Meanwhile, a Federal High Court Sitting in Lagos has upheld the Lagos State Government’s right to restrict commercial motorcycles (Okada) and tricycles (Keke Marwa) within six local government areas and nine Local Council Development Areas, LCDAs, in the state.
Justice Muhammed Liman agreed with the arguments of Lagos State Attorney-General, Moyosore Onigbanjo, SAN, that the restriction of motorcycles on major roads in the state is in line with the provisions of the Transport Sector Reform Law, 2018.
The Judge dismissed for want of merit, a fundamental rights suit filed by a lawyer, Olukoya Ogungbeje, challenging Governor Babajide Sanwo-Olu’s executive order authorizing the restrictions.
While delivering judgement in Suit no. FHC/L/CS/173/2020 between Olukoya Ogungbeje V Lagos State Government &7 Ors, the court said it assumed jurisdiction in the case on the premise that both the Federal High Court and State High Court exercise concurrent jurisdiction over fundamental human rights cases.
“The restriction of motorcycles within six Local Government Areas and nine Local Council Development Areas in the state, is not an infringement of Fundamental Human Rights”, Justice Liman held.
He said that Ogungbeje, who admitted being a car owner and not a motorcycle or tricycle operator, could not complain of his rights in any form being infringed on by the executive order.
Justice Liman dismissed the applicant’s originating summons for lacking in merit.
