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(Opinion) Lagos and the changing face of BRT scheme

BRT
ADENIKE ADEMOLA

Prior to the introduction of the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) system on Lagos roads, commuters had gory tales to tell in the course of moving from one place to the other in the metropolis. While some had their clothes torn by rickety commercial buses and had to appear shabbily dressed for those all important functions, others had to contend with saucy bus conductors, who have made it a habit to insult passengers whom they imagine are at their mercies. In addition, many people have been killed or maimed by commercial bus and motor bike drivers who are unmindful of the sanctity of the life.

With a population of about 18 million people, smallest state in Nigeria (357,700 hectares ) but the most populous, Lagos State is the hub of the nation’s economic activities. 45% of the country’s manpower resides in Lagos and as being experienced by emerging megacities worldwide, the issue of effective public transportation is one that residents have to daily contend with.

No doubt, transportation is an essential part of human activity, and in many ways form the basis of all socio-economic interactions. Indeed, no two locations will interact effectively without a viable means of movement. Thus, a good transport system is essential to support economic growth and development. The efficiency with which people, goods and services can move from one point to the other largely determines the quality of life of the society. In many developing economy, ineffective and inadequate transport facilities are often the norm rather than the exception.

It is in a bid to change the face of public transportation in Lagos state that the Bus Rapid Transit (BRT) was introduced in 2008. Universally, the BRT system has the capability of moving huge numbers of people from one place to the other at a time in a faster and more convenient way. The system operates on the concept of utilizing dedicated lanes in areas where competition with highway traffic would be greatest while it makes use of existing highways and roads in areas that are less congested in order to reduce cost. According to the Lagos Metropolitan Transport Authority, LAMATA, by 2009 the BRT system has lifted over 52million passengers. Since the implementation of the BRT scheme, it has become a reference point for other cities and countries.

It has been the toast of commuters in Lagos because it is faster, safer, more reliable, more comfortable and cheaper. More importantly, it has also led to the reduction of accidents. In order to enhance service delivery of the BRT scheme, the Ambode administration recently launched over 400 air-conditioned buses on the ever busy Ikorodu road from Ikorodu roundabout to CMS. This is quite remarkable. It is now the in-thing for residents of this area to board these buses which now make their journey more predictable.

One innovation that comes with the new buses is the introduction of the e-purse card that enables commuter buys their boarding tickets by loading their cards with preferable amount of money, as it applies to GSM phones. This makes boarding easier as owners of these cards do not have to queue for tickets. In addition, the BRT buses now work for 24 hours from Ikorodu to CMS, in order to further boost the socio-economic lives of the people.

Commuters often enjoy free rides on major festival days, such as the New Year, Christmas, eid-el-fitr as well as eid-el-kabir days. This is a way of felicitating with the people, ensuring that it caters to the transportation needs of the people well as ensuring that they are able to move around unhindered during these festive periods. Similarly, in order to make the services of these buses more effective as well as provide security for motorists, the State Government has embarked on provision of street lights on Ikorodu road as well as other roads in the metropolis. The aforementioned will further boost the running of a 24 hour economy in the state. To complement the services of these buses, the residents also have the choices of boarding ferries, while the blue rail project from the mainland linking Badagry is on going to further advance mass transit.

But in spite of the giant strides made by the state government in ameliorating the sufferings of the residents as far as transportation is concerned, there are some factors serving as clog in the wheel of progress in the sector. The first is the menace of ‘Okada’ (commercial motorcycle) riders who flout the state’s traffic law at will. Another is lack of proper passenger flow control in BRT terminals. It is not uncommon to watch free boxing bouts at these terminals daily, a fall out of some passengers trying to play fast ones on others, either in an attempt to hurriedly purchase tickets or board the buses.

On the whole, to address some of the challenges being encountered in the operation of the BRT scheme and to ensure a smooth ride for all Lagosians; the State Traffic Laws banning commercial motorcycle operators on major roads must be enforced to the latter. Equally, all non designated vehicles that pass through BRT lanes must be made to face the music. Also, proper crowd control must be ensured at all BRT terminals by employing more personnel for enforcement. In the same vein, traffic officers must be stationed at BRT bus stops to assist passengers in crossing the road by stopping on coming vehicles that often choose to ignore the Zebra crossing signs.

Also, the BRT scheme could be planned to include commuting within short distances within a particular local government or location. For instance, people commuting within Apapa, Ikeja, Island, Alimosho, Yaba etc could rely on BRT buses within the locations for their daily and routine movement. Once this is done and the operation of BRT in these locations becomes reliable, effective and efficient, more commuters would opt to leave their cars at home and would willingly embrace the BRT alternative. For the system to become more reliable, effective arrangements must be made for constant repair and refurbishment of buses in the BRT fleet. A well planned culture of maintenance must be embraced and strictly adhered to. The sorry state of some of the busses in the BRT fleet, before the recent government intervention, really makes this quite imperative.

Ademola wrote in from Lekki, Lagos.

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